"Velella are not true jellyfish, but are related to jellyfish, as well as to sea anemones, corals, and hydroids. The Velella is a flat, oval-shaped creature, bluish to purple in color and three to four inches long."
"These mass beachings have been fairly regular occurrences on local beaches, happening in late March 2025, late April 2024, and mid-April 2023."
"Some sails on Velella angle to the left and propel the animal left of downwind; others angle to the right and propel the animal right of downwind."
Velella, known as by-the-wind sailors, wash up on NorCal beaches in spring and summer due to onshore winds. These creatures, which are free-floating hydrozoans, lack steering abilities and can be pushed ashore after storms. They have stinging tentacles but are generally harmless to humans. Velella are flat, oval-shaped, and can be bluish to purple in color. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and have few known predators. Mass beachings have been observed regularly, with social media documenting these events since 2014.
Read at sfist.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]