[2][3] A siphonophore is not a single, multi-cellular organism, but a colony of tiny biological components called zooids, each having evolved with a specific function.

[6] The larger end features a transparent, dome-like float known as a pneumatophore,[7] filled with gas which provides buoyancy, allowing the organism to remain at its preferred ocean depth.

[11][failed verification] The remains of Praya dubia dredged up in fishing nets resemble a blob of gelatin, which prevented their identification as a unique creature until the 19th century.

[15] When it finds itself in a region abundant with food, it holds its position and deploys a curtain of tentacles covered with nematocysts which produce a powerful, toxic sting that can paralyze or kill prey that happen to bump into it.

A Praya dubia specimen, filmed in its native habitat, was featured in Episode 2 of the David Attenborough television series Blue Planet II, produced for the BBC.