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
Madeira
The mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca) is a common jellyfish in Portuguese waters, found in large numbers in the Azores and Madeira archipelagos.
When in hunting mode, its eight marginal tentacles can extend for several metres. Despite having an extremely varied diet, copepods are its most common prey due to their sheer abundance.
Its stinging cells (nematocysts) can be extremely irritating if they come into contact with human skin, but it is not as harmful as the Portuguese man o’war.
This particular jellyfish has a life cycle of less than a year. In Madeira’s waters, it serves as food for various species of sea turtles, such as the loggerhead (Caretta caretta).
The club-tipped anemone (Telmatactis cricoides) is the largest anemone found in Portuguese waters, occurring mainly in the Madeira archipelago. This species exhibits great variations in colour, with some twenty-five colour patterns having already been described, three of them unique to the archipelago. With its tentacles extended, it can reach 20 cm in diameter.
This cnidarian typically associates with certain crustaceans, the most common being shrimps and sea spiders. It is common to see this large anemone in murky areas or cavities, with more than one shrimp living between its 80 to 90 tentacles.
This species can sting humans if touched and can cause some discomfort.
