Latest news with #Velella
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Thousands of "By-the-Wind Sailors" wash ashore Ventura County beaches
Thousands of velella velellas, more commonly known as "By-the-Wind Sailors," have been spotted all along Ventura County beaches in recent days. According to a Facebook post from Channel Islands Harbor, the jellyfish-like creatures have washed ashore at the harbor and along the Kiddie, Silver Strand and Hollywood beaches. "Velella velellas are not true jellyfish, but are related to jellyfish, as well as to sea anemones, corals and hydroids," the post said, citing the National Parks Service. "Velella velellas are a flat, oval-shaped creature, bluish to purple in color and three to four inches long." Some Velella velellas that washed ashore in Ventura County. Channel Islands Harbor/Facebook They earned their nickname because of the two-inch-high "sail" attached to their body, which leads them in whatever direction the wind is blowing. "When the sail catches the wind, the Velella will be blown downwind at an angle to the wind. This sets Velella apart from many other jellyfish, which drift with the ocean currents," the post said, noting that left-handed Velella are usually located in the Northern Hemisphere, and right-handed in the Southern Hemisphere. Though they do have stingers, its rarely harmful if a human is stung.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Thousands of Velella velella wash ashore Ventura County beaches
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - It's that time of year again! If you've visited one of the beaches along California's coast recently, you may have noticed some strange little blue creatures washed ashore. While they may closely resemble the poisonous Portugese Man O'War, these little creatures are not poisonous and aren't even jellyfish. They're known as Velella velella - or By-the-Wind-Sailors. Thousands have washed ashore beaches in Ventura County, including Silver Strand, Kiddie, and Hollywood beaches, as well as the Channel Islands Harbor. According to the Point Reyes National Seashore, these hydroid polyps - cousins of the jellyfish - are actually pretty common. 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. They're described as flat, oval-shaped creatures, bluish to purple in color and three to four inches long, according to the National Park Service. Its two-inch trianguilar "sail" is attached at its base, diagonally. Velella has numerous blue tentacles dangling from its body, which contain stinging cells that help capture its food. Its stinging cells are rarely harmful to humans, officials said, in comparison to the Portugese Man O'War. By-the-wind sailors use their blue stinging tentacles to capture prey, such as plankton. While these seafarers don't have many known predators, they are eaten by nudibranchs and purple sea snails. Velella don't actively navigate using their sail, but rather go where the winds take them. "When the sail caches the wind, the Velella will be blown downwind at an angle to the wind," the NPS said. "This sets Velella apart from many other jellyfish, which drift with the ocean currents." "When the prevailing winds shift, such as during a storm, the Velella are driven towards the coast, where they often are stranded on beaches in great numbers. As the Velella dries out on the beach, it becomes brittle and transparent, looking like a cellophane candy wrapper." It's been about a year since we've seen Velella velella wash ashore. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Velella velella, By the Wind Sailors return to California beaches Research suggests that these "washups" are associated with warmer ocean temperatures in the northern California current. Officials say, Velella velellas pose little threat to humans, but if you do decide to pick one up, be careful when touching your face and eyes afterward because they can cause slight irritation to your skin. The Source Information for this story is from the Channel Islands Harbor, National Park Service, and Point Reyes National Seashore.
Time Out
23-04-2025
- Time Out
Think you're seeing plastic on the beach? It might just be a sea creature.
Last week, while walking the beach in Marina, California (a 15-minute drive from Monterey), I couldn't help noticing the sand was covered in what appeared to be plastic. They were all the same size, clear plastic pieces with striations, and some of them were attached to purplish seashells. My best guess was that a container full of these must have fallen off the ship and the plastic pieces were making their way to shore. I stopped in at the front desk of the Sanctuary Beach Resort, where I was staying, to ask what they were—and if we should organize a beach cleanup. The staff member smiled and said he thought they were actually shells themselves. It's hard to believe since they look (and feel!) like plastic, but they really are a sea creature. After googling, I learned from this Smithsonian article that they are called Velella velella and are related to the jellyfish. The design of these creatures is truly unique. An upright 'fin' protrudes from a flat oval pad, almost like the dorsal fin of a shark. That part is transparent, and the pad adheres to the blue shell underneath. The velella velella floats on the top of the water, and its fin actually catches the breezes to sail along. Their nickname is 'by-the-wind sailors.' Sadly, the velella velellas don't mean to beach themselves, but if a strong wind sends them towards the sand, that's where they go. The National Park Service website for the creature says, 'As the Velella dries out on the beach, it becomes brittle and transparent, looking like a cellophane candy wrapper.' It states that you can find them at Point Reyes above San Francisco. In fact, you can find masses of these stranded sailors all the way down the west coast from British Columbia to California—and in Ireland and England's west coasts. If you see them, you're advised not to touch them because they do have stinging tentacles. I couldn't resist picking one up when I believed it was plastic, and didn't see the tentacles, which perhaps were curled up under the purple part. The velella velellas are certainly unusual, and if you're heading to the California coast this week, you'll undoubtedly see them.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Thousands of tiny sea creatures wash ashore in Ventura County
Thousands of velella velellas, known as 'By-the-Wind Sailors,' have washed ashore recently on several Ventura County beaches. 'When the prevailing winds shift, such as during a storm, the Velella are driven towards the coast, where they often are stranded on beaches in great numbers,' Channel Islands Harbor posted on its Facebook page last week, along with images of the jellyfish-like creatures around the harbor and on Kiddie, Silver Strand and Hollywood beaches. Velella are bluish to purple in color and three to four inches long. They are not true jellyfish but are related to jellyfish, sea anemones, corals and hydroids, according to the National Park Service (NPS). 'The name 'by-the-wind-sailor' is really a misnomer for this little animal. Velella don't actively navigate using their sail,' the NPS said. The flat, oval-shaped creatures float on the ocean's surface and are most likely to wash ashore in spring or early summer, environmental scientist and professor at CSU Channel Islands Sean Anderson told the Ventura County Star. 'It is part of the wonder of our beach.' Anderson told the Star that the number of velella that wash ashore can vary greatly each year. 'They have evolved to move with the wind,' he said. 'That really helps distribute them and blow them all around.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
These mysterious blue blobs are washing up on WA beaches. What are they?
It's spring again, and that means it's time to be on the lookout for mysterious blue blobs scattered across Pacific Northwest beaches. From California to British Columbia, the electric-blue, jellyfish-looking creatures are washing ashore in droves, according to experts and media reports. Known as Velella velella or by-the-wind-sailors, the blobs are related to jellyfish, corals, sea anemones and hydroids, according to the National Park Service. NPS describes them as 'flat, oval-shaped creature, bluish to purple in color and three to four inches long.' The iNaturalist website shows dozens of reports from the public of 'by-the-wind-sailors' washing up on beaches up and down the Pacific Ocean coastline, including off the coasts of Oregon, Washington and California, in recent weeks. Along Washington's Pacific coast, there have been sightings reported at Long Beach, Seaview, Ilwaco, Grayland, Ocean Shores and Seabrook. According to Matthew George, a coastal shellfish manager with Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife, the sea creatures typically wash up on Washington coastal beaches when ocean currents shift in their spring transition. 'They're kind of a unique group of marine organisms that we see when they wash up,' George said in an interview, adding that the near-annual event is not related to climate change or other human-made causes. 'It just happens naturally,' he said. 'It's just kind of an unhappy accident.' Velella live offshore on the ocean's surface and have dangling, stinging blue tentacles. They get their common name of by-the-wind-sailors from the flexible two-inch-high triangular 'sail' attached to their body. Velella literally go where the wind pushes them using their 'sail,' and it's common to see them wash ashore during spring and summer months, according to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in a 2024 Facebook post. They warn not to touch, though. 'If you come across them, admire those blue hues before they fade! But look with your eyes, not your hands — while their venom is harmless to humans, some people may react more strongly than others.' George said WDFW also asks the public to leave the unusual marine life alone if they encounter beached by-the-wind-sailors. 'We encourage the public not to interact with wildlife,' he said. 'We want to leave the beaches the way we find them.' People are encouraged to take pictures and report sightings of by-the-wind-sailors. George says the data from public monitoring reports is 'helpful.' He recommends using DFW's 'shellfish abnormalities' reporting page, which can be found on the wildlife observations page. It's also recommended to keep your dog away from Velalla velalla. 'If there is a large mass stranding event, we recommend to leash dogs,' George said. 'Eating even one or two could cause gastrointestinal issues.'
