The ocean is now one of the few places on Earth where you can experience true adventure, filled with discovery, surprises, and never-before-seen wonders.
The open sea is a vast expanse, but in the immensity of the ocean, there are also refuges and dark abysses, ideal places for the many creatures that seek to go unnoticed by humans, and where even science and knowledge have difficulty shining light on the unfamiliar.
In Portugal’s territorial waters, there is a great diversity of living creatures, in the most varied shapes, sizes and colours, from the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale, to the tiniest plankton.
In this part of the Atlantic Ocean, we also find an extensive list of invertebrates with very special characteristics, as is the case with the gelatinous animals. With no fixed abode, they drift endlessly at the whim of winds and currents in the abundant water column, with no obstacles or borders of any kind. Despite their fragile, sensitive bodies, which have no hard parts, their sheer numbers are a testament to their powers of self-perpetuation.
Many of these creatures form the bedrock of micro ecosystems. From tiny algae, which sometimes live in symbiosis with them, to an array of small crustaceans in all shapes, sizes and colours, as well as small fish, all integrate harmoniously with these translucent animals.
Many of these organisms display vibrant colours, albeit only visible in a certain light. Some of the most spectacular jellyfish exhibit bioluminescence, a luminous phenomenon that can only be glimpsed in dark environments, during twilight or at night – as if a secret revealed only to those who observe these creatures closely.
Over the decades, I have encountered a huge variety of these animals in Portuguese territory, from the surface to the deepest sites only accessible to scuba divers. Some of these many species have incredible life stories that deserve to be told and celebrated.
Luís Quinta Nature Photographer
Mainland Portugal
The Portuguese blubber jelly (Catostylus tagi) is endemic to the Portuguese coast and is most frequently seen around large estuaries such as those of the Tagus and Sado rivers.
In mid-summer, with high tides and favourable winds, they spread out across the ocean, attracting several species of sea turtles to the coast, such as leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), which feed exclusively on gelatinous animals. At an intermediate stage of their life, before they swim freely in the water column, they anchor themselves to the seabed. As a 2- to 3-mm polyp, they can remain attached to the sea floor for weeks or even months. After breaking free from the depths, the 3- to 4-mm diameter micro-animal soon grows into its familiar form.
The sandalled anemone (Actinothoe sphyrodeta) is very common in Portuguese continental waters. Although it can be observed in isolation, in most cases it occurs in vast colonies and is often seen together with other small anemone species, forming vast carpets of cnidarians.
They grow no larger than 3 cm in diameter and their oral disc is white or sometimes yellowish in colour. These anemones reproduce by splitting in half lengthwise, thereby giving rise to two individuals.
