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This species and the smaller [[Physalia utriculus|Indo-Pacific man o' war]] are responsible for up to 10,000 human stings in [[Australia]] each summer, particularly on the east coast, with some others occurring off the coast of [[South Australia]] and [[Western Australia]].<ref name="Fenner1996">{{cite journal | last = Fenner | first = Peter J. | coauthors = John A. Williamson | year = 1996 | month = December | title = Worldwide deaths and severe envenomation from jellyfish stings | journal = Medical Journal of Australia | volume = 165 | issue = 11–12 | pages = 658–661 | issn = 0025-729X | url = http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/dec2/fenner/fenner.html | accessdate = 2009-09-04 | quote = In Australia, particularly on the east coast, up to 10 000 stings occur each summer from the bluebottle (''Physalia spp.'') alone, with others also from the "hair jellyfish" (''Cyanea'') and "blubber" (''Catostylus''). More bluebottle stings occur in South Australia and Western Australia, as well as stings from a single-tentacled box jellyfish, the "jimble" (''Carybdea rastoni'') | pmid = 8985452 }}</ref> |
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This species and the smaller [[Physalia utriculus|Indo-Pacific man o' war]] oopup to 10,000 human stings in [[Australia]] each summer, particularly on the east coast, with some others occurring off the coast of [[South Australia]] and [[Western Australia]].<ref name="Fenner1996">{{cite journal | last = Fenner | first = Peter J. | coauthors = John A. Williamson | year = 1996 | month = December | title = Worldwide deaths and severe envenomation from jellyfish stings | journal = Medical Journal of Australia | volume = 165 | issue = 11–12 | pages = 658–661 | issn = 0025-729X | url = http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/dec2/fenner/fenner.html | accessdate = 2009-09-04 | quote = In Australia, particularly on the east coast, up to 10 000 stings occur each summer from the bluebottle (''Physalia spp.'') alone, with others also from the "hair jellyfish" (''Cyanea'') and "blubber" (''Catostylus''). More bluebottle stings occur in South Australia and Western Australia, as well as stings from a single-tentacled box jellyfish, the "jimble" (''Carybdea rastoni'') | pmid = 8985452 }}</ref> |
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The stinging, venom-filled [[nematocyst]]s<ref>5. Yanagihara, A.A., Kuroiwa, J.M.Y., Oliver, L., and Kunkel, D.D. The ultrastructure of nematocysts from the fishing tentacle of the Hawaiian bluebottle, Physalia utriculus (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Siphonophora). Hydrobiologia 489, 139–150, 2002.</ref> in the tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war can paralyze small fish and other prey. Detached tentacles and dead specimens (including those that wash up on shore) can sting just as painfully as the live creature in the water and may remain potent for hours or even days after the death of the creature or the detachment of the tentacle.<ref name="Auerbach1997">{{cite journal | author = Auerbach, PS. | title = Envenomation from jellyfish and related species | journal = J Emerg Nurs | volume = 23 | pages = 555–565 | year = 1997 |doi = 10.1016/S0099-1767(97)90269-5 | issue = 6 }}</ref> |
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The stinging, venom-filled [[nematocyst]]s<ref>5. Yanagihara, A.A., Kuroiwa, J.M.Y., Oliver, L., and Kunkel, D.D. The ultrastructure of nematocysts from the fishing tentacle of the Hawaiian bluebottle, Physalia utriculus (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Siphonophora). Hydrobiologia 489, 139–150, 2002.</ref> in the tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war can paralyze small fish and other prey. Detached tentacles and dead specimens (including those that wash up on shore) can sting just as painfully as the live creature in the water and may remain potent for hours or even days after the death of the creature or the detachment of the tentacle.<ref name="Auerbach1997">{{cite journal | author = Auerbach, PS. | title = Envenomation from jellyfish and related species | journal = J Emerg Nurs | volume = 23 | pages = 555–565 | year = 1997 |doi = 10.1016/S0099-1767(97)90269-5 | issue = 6 }}</ref> |