The giant siphonophore also known as the Praya dubia does sting and when they sting they pack a powerful and painful and even venomous sting.
The long and trailing tentacles of the giant siphonophore are covered in stinging cells called nematocysts that are designed to stun or kill it's prey and although they do live in the deep sea, the sting of a giant siphonophore can be dangerous and even extremely painful to humans.
Giant siphonophores deploy their massive, curtain like tentacles that are covered in stinging cells to capture food, which can include fish and small crustaceans.
Siphonophores often live for thousands of years as siphonophores have an indefinite or even very long lifespan.
Siphonophores have an ability to continuously regenerate and replace their individual, specialize units or zooids.
Because siphonophores are colonies of identical, asexual clones, they don't often die of old age in the traditional sense, but instead they replace members of their team and allows them to theoretically live forever unless they are consumed.
And although the siphonophores have a long potential lifespan, they are also extremely delicate and often die if they are damaged by predators, researchers or even by rising to the surface.
Many species of siphonophores live in the deep see of 700m to 1000m or more with few predators, supporting their possibility of living very long lifespans.
And although the overall colony of siphonophores can live for a very long time, the individual, detached units called eudoxids are also restricted to short lifespans and cannot survive alone.
The reason why siphonophores explode is because their highly pressurized deep sea habitat is removed when they are brought up to the surface.
Siphonophores are fragile, gelatinous colonies who rely on intense water pressure that is often over 460 bars to maintain their structure and the siphonophores expand and break apart when the pressure that need is lost.
Giant siphonophores can stretch out as far as 150 feet or even longer, which makes it one of the longest animals in the world.
And although longer, siphonophores ae also extremely thin, and often compared to the width of a broomstick, which makes the siphonophore far less massive and voluminous than a blue whale.
Siphonophores are also not a single organism, but instead a colonial organism, that is made up of thousands of specialized tiny clones called zooids that work together.
Siphonophores are not actually jellyfish although siphonophores are related to jellyfish.
Siphonophores appear similar to that of jellyfish, and siphonophores also share the same phylum, Cnidaria with jellyfish, but they are technically a distinct type of colonial organism.
A siphonophore is a floating colony that is made up of thousands of specialized individuals called zooids.
And a jellyfish is a single organism.
The zooids are also genetically identical clones, although they are also so specialize for tasks like reproduction, feeding or movement that they can't survive alone.
The siphonophores are also hydrozoans, which are also often long and stringy or appear like a collection of specialized polyps, instead of the umbrella shaped, pulsing bell of a true jelly fish.
Some species of siphonophores like deep sea siphonophores form enormous chains in the deep ocean and can also be longer than a blue whale, which makes the siphonophores some of the longest animals on Earth.
The Portuguese man o' war is also often mistaken for a jellyfish, and this creature is a classic example of a siphonophore that consists of a gas filled float and tentacles.
Siphonophores are cnidarian animals of the hydrozoan order Siphonophorae.
And according to the World Register of Marine Species, the order of Siphonophorae, contains 194 species described thus far.
Siphonophores are highly polymorphic and complex organisms, which blur the line between individual organisms and colonial organisms.
Many siphonophores are harmful and capable of delivering painful, venomous stings similar to jellyfish, with the Portuguese Man-of-War being a well-known example.
While rarely fatal to humans, a siphonophores tentacles, which can extend over 100 feet in some species, contain powerful toxins designed to paralyze fish and can cause severe pain and skin welts.
A sting from a siphonophore is described as being excruciating and sometimes leaves, long lasting and burning welts.
The siphonophore can grow to lengths of 130 feet (40 m), longer than the blue whale, which is usually considered Earth's largest animal.
However the siphonophore's body is not much bigger around than a broomstick.