The Floating Metropolis of Porpita
Drifting across the seas for hundreds to thousands of kilometers is the tiny metropolis of Porpita. Here, you will find the dactylozooids, the warriors that capture prey and protect the city; the gastrozooids, responsible for preparing and distributing food; and finally, the gonozooids, that nurture their young to grow and build new cities.
If you are lucky, you may spot a Porpita porpita (commonly called a blue button) washed ashore on a sandy beach or floating in the shallow waters of the Andamans.
It is not a single animal, but a floating colony of specialised individuals called zooids working together in unison, earning it the title of a superorganism. Each individual zooid has a role to play and falls into one of the three main categories mentioned earlier. Collectively, they ensure the survival and function of the entire colony, making it mimic a single creature.
Driven entirely by wind and ocean currents, this tiny blue civilisation floats wherever the water takes it. Survival in the open ocean is best achieved as a community after all!