Swarms of purple jellyfish-like creatures called 'By-the-Wind Sailors' tinge California shorelines blue
DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA: Thousands of purple jellyfish-like creatures are washing up the beaches of California. Commonly known by names like by-the-wind sailor, purple sail, little sail, sea raft, or simply Velella, the sight of them bobbing on waters can be quite enchanting. Nona Reimer, a science teacher who goes by Nona the Naturalist, said in an Instagram video for Dana Wharf Whale Watching, “Watch for them on the beaches. They're gonna be washing on the shore pretty soon.”
In Huntington Beach, Marine Safety Battalion Chief Doug Leach said that hundreds of these creatures, known by the scientific name, Velella velella, had been spotted along the shoreline," as reported by OC Register. “We have a ton of them, mostly north of the pier, all over the high tide line as the tide was dropping this morning.” Point Reyes National Seashore also wrote in a Facebook statement, "You may come across a fresh wash-up of Velella, tinging the stretch of shoreline blue, but if they've been there a while, they will look like crinkly and dry ovals of cellophane."
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What are 'By-the-Wind Sailors'?
According to the Point Reyes National Seashore, these hydroid polyps, cousins of the jellyfish, are quite common sea creatures. They live in the open ocean but make their way onto beaches in the spring and early summer months when strong winds push them ashore. Describing them, the page stated, "They have a firm and upright triangular sail attached to their body which causes them to be caught up by the wind and blown across the surface of the water, giving them their name “By-the-Wind Sailors.” Don't worry about those little blue tentacles that hang from their body! These tentacles don't sting humans but will gather up plenty of zooplankton or fish eggs for them to eat.
Creature's sting causes minor pain
Talking about them, Natalie Booth-Massey, a Cabrillo Aquarium naturalist said, as per OC Register, "These little jellies are fascinating creatures. The invasion, for lack of a better word, at Point Reyes, they were just covered on the beach there."
Professor of Toxicology, Jamie Seymour, from James Cook University told Yahoo!, “Twenty to 30 years ago it would probably have been uncommon to see them. Nowadays it's certainly not." He also said that the sting of the creature "doesn't compare to a bluebottle" and causes minor pain, adding, "Hundreds, if not thousands of people are stung by them in Sydney every year." "Some of the population will go left, the others will go right. If the winds blowing to push everybody towards the beach, half will go offshore and half will go onshore," he explained.