Allow yourself to be mesmerized by this gorgeous footage of the Portuguese man-of-war

Pain and beauty combined in one fascinating creature

Published August 22, 2014 7:15PM (EDT)

   (Screenshot/National Geographic)
(Screenshot/National Geographic)

At some point this weekend, take a moment to be wowed by this footage of the Portuguese man-of-war, captured for National Geographic by photographer Aaron Asnarov. They look like a cross between abstract art and a jellyfish, but are actually colonies of genetically identical individuals that travel where the winds and tides take them. Asnarov collects them when they wash up on Florida's beaches.

Oh, and their venom is powerful enough to kill a young child, or else cause a considerable amount of pain -- all the more reason to relish this opportunity to admire them up close:


By Lindsay Abrams

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