Thousands of purple-colored creatures resembling jellyfish, called Velella velella or By-the-Wind Sailors, are being washed up on the beaches.
The By-the-Wind sailors are also known as colonial hydroids and are similar to Portuguese Man O'War, feeding on algae and zooplankton.
Velella velella are flat, oval-shaped hydroid polyps (cousins of the jellyfish) that live in the open ocean but are often seen washed up on beaches in the spring and early summer months when strong winds push them ashore.
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.
According to Point ReyesNational Seashore, 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.
"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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