siphonophore

noun

si·pho·no·phore sī-ˈfä-nə-ˌfȯr

ˈsī-fə-nə-

: any of an order (Siphonophora) of colonial, free-swimming or floating, marine hydrozoans (such as the Portuguese man-of-war) that are mostly delicate, transparent, and colored and have zooids possessing specialized functions (such as feeding or locomotion)

… startling brilliance is often seen among siphonophores, gelatinous colonial animals whose different members work in unison.—

William J. Broad

Most siphonophores are small, transparent creatures of the open sea. They float at the surface among the plankton or swim actively, usually at shallow depths. As carnivores, they capture small planktonic animals in their net of tentacles.—

Stephen Jay Gould

Examples of siphonophore in a Sentence

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Bioluminescence is commonly spotted among fish, squid and gelatinous zooplankton, such as jellyfish, siphonophores, comb jellies, and other animals that are mostly made of water. —

Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024 Unlike most animals that grow as a single entity, this siphonophore is a composite of thousands of cloned bodies, each specialized for different tasks. —

Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 The woolly siphonophores arrange themselves in much the same structure as the giant siphonophores, with both species sharing a similar float and a similar stem. —

Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Aug. 2023 That said, the majority of siphonophores stick to the open ocean, with longer siphonophores drifting in deeper waters than shorter siphonophores, since powerful currents close to the surface can shred siphonophore colonies apart. —

Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Aug. 2023 See all Example Sentences for siphonophore