Scores of jellyfish-like creatures are washing up on Central Coast Beaches.
The animals are called velella velella, and they are related to jellyfish. Nicknamed “by-the-wind sailors,” they are small, oval and bright-blue with a clear, stiff sail which helps propel them across the ocean surface.
Zach Plopper, Environmental Director at the SurfriderFoundation, said very specific ocean conditions– common in the spring– bring blooms of plankton, which velellas feed on.
“This happens when there's upwelling, when wind offshore moves cold water from below the water surface up– nutrient-rich water– and we see large congregations of the velella velella when this happens, and then with wind shifts they can wash up in these mass strandings,” Plopper said.
Their tentacles can sting their prey, but they are harmless to humans. Still, Plopper warns beachgoers to keep an eye on their dogs to make sure they don’t try to eat the valella.
