BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Thousands of purple creatures wash ashore in California

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

(KTLA) — Look, but don’t touch. That’s the message from marine biologists as Southern California sees an influx of jellyfish-like creatures known as Velella velella, or By-the-Wind Sailors.

On Saturday, Dana Wharf Whale Watching in Orange County posted a video of the strange, purple blobs that travel with the ocean currents and winds.

Beachgoers say they are washing ashore by the thousands along the Southern California coast, including at Huntington Beach, Zuma Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Salt Creek Beach. They have also been spotted further north.

By-the-Wind sailors at Zuma Beach
By-the-Wind sailors are seen at Zuma Beach in California in April 2023. The jelly-like creatures are known as colonial hydroid, meaning they’re comprised of a colony of tiny organisms. (Maria Abreu)

By-the-Wind sailors are known as colonial hydroids, meaning they’re comprised of a colony of tiny creatures, similar to the Portuguese Man O’War. The animals aren’t classified as jellyfish, despite their jelly-like appearance.

They feed on algae and zooplankton and are a favorite meal for sunfish, according to Nona the Naturalist with Dana Wharf Whale Watching.

When they wash up on beaches, the creatures can look like “deflated balloons” or pieces of plastic. They also start to lose their color as they dry on land.

FILE – Velella are stranded by the thousands at Pacific Beach, Washington. (Getty Images)

They’ve washed up along the California coastline en masse before. Between 2014 and 2016, several hundred thousand By-the-Wind Sailors blanketed West Coast beaches and drew crowds to check them out, the Orange County Register reported.

Like jellyfish, By-the-Wind Sailors also have stinging cells, so marine biologists say people should avoid touching them. But generally, they are not considered to be dangerous to humans.

West

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

67°F Sunny Feels like 67°
Wind
7 mph SW
Humidity
44%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
50°F Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Wind
6 mph NNW
Precip
10%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous