Talk:Man-of-war fish

Latest comment: 4 months ago by Gebrelu in topic Stripes or spots?

Toxin Avoidance edit

How about entering info on how the fish manages to avoid the toxins in the tentacles that are poisonous to other fish?

"Jenkins 1983"[1] and "Purcell and Arai 2001"[2] provide some explanations for this- Rather than using mucus as is seen in some of the clown fish sheltering among anemones, it appears the fish uses highly agile swimming to physically avoid tentacles.

It has a very high number of vertebrate and primarily uses its pectoral fins for swimming- a feature of fish who specialize in maneuvering tight spaces. It also has a complex skin design and at least one antigen to the man-of-war's toxin. Although the fish seems to be ten times more resistant to the toxin than other fish, it can be stung by the dactylozooides, which it actively avoids. The gonozooids cannot sting the fish, and the fish is reported to frequently 'nibble' on these tentacles.

Also, i noticed (by accident) the german page seems to have a lot more on it- and maybe if someone could copy the translation in it might add some info to the page? [3]


Just some ideas for a more proficient editor than myself!Wheezybabs (talk) 19:32, 30 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Went ahead and added stuff- think its mostly decent....Wheezybabs (talk) 19:52, 30 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

References

  1. ^ [1], Jenkins 1983.
  2. ^ [2], Purcell and Arai 2001, review.
  3. ^ [3], German page.

Stripes or spots? edit

The use is the word stripes seems to contradict the photo showing what would call spots or blotches. They are later called blemishes, which is also an awkward phrasing as the word implies lesion. Gebrelu (talk) 16:17, 30 December 2023 (UTC)Reply