The sting of this species was likened by sixteenth century British sailors to enemy battleships or men-of-war.

Portuguese Man-o-War or Pa'iimalau
Physalia physalis

Description • This species is not a true jellyfish but a floating colony of polyps kept afloat by a balloon filled mostly with carbon monoxide. The raised crest at the top of the bubble is to catch the wind. Their bluish purple color makes them almost invisible in the ocean.

Habitat • They occur in all warm seas and sail the open ocean with the wind. Strong onshore winds can wash hundreds ashore where they are eaten by ghost crabs and mole crabs.

Diet • The Man-o-War trails one or more long tentacles that paralyze or kill small fishes or organisms that come in its path. The tentacles then contract drawing up the prey to be eaten. The colony shares the catch through an interconnected digestive tube.

Pa'imalau also describes a fleet of canoes fishing for aku with the malau or bait carrier. The malau was usually two to three fathoms long.