For today's Sunday Squee, we're essentially looking at Dr. Seuss' Whoville - a whole colony of teeny critters comprising a little blue sailboat. Meet the By-the-wind Sailor. That thing that looks like a blue jellyfish with a clear, gelatinous sail on top is actually a hydroid colony.
A hydroid colony is a group of polyps like sea anemones. They form a tight cluster and appear to be a single organism. Within the colony are different types of polyps with different functions. Some specialize in feeding, others provide structural support, and others protect the colony. There are no polyps that control locomotion; the colony cannot control its travels. The triangular sail catches the wind and the By-the-wind Sailor is blown across the ocean even in a gentle breeze.
All that being said, a couple of people have posted blogs stating that there was a study showing that the Sailor may be a complicated individual rather than a colony, but they did not include any citations. If anyone does have a citation to the research paper, please send me a note.
A hydroid colony is a group of polyps like sea anemones. They form a tight cluster and appear to be a single organism. Within the colony are different types of polyps with different functions. Some specialize in feeding, others provide structural support, and others protect the colony. There are no polyps that control locomotion; the colony cannot control its travels. The triangular sail catches the wind and the By-the-wind Sailor is blown across the ocean even in a gentle breeze.
All that being said, a couple of people have posted blogs stating that there was a study showing that the Sailor may be a complicated individual rather than a colony, but they did not include any citations. If anyone does have a citation to the research paper, please send me a note.