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.”
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