Velella Velella
- Apr 19, 2015
- 1 min read
Lisa, the kids and I have a little saying, we've held dear for 20+ years now. "Go where the day takes you." Words we have been living by most of our lives...Our children their entire lives. So, when we came across these beautiful little creatures nicknamed "By-the -Wind Sailors" we were more than intrigued. A species that is entirely at the mercy of the wind? That's our kind of fish!
Unfortunately, vagabond life didn't work out so well for these little fellas as dry land/sand is their kryptonite and here is where they will die.
Velella Velella (cool enough to name twice) are also known as "purple sails" or "by-the-wind sailors". They are hydroid polyps that exist on surfaces of warm waters. They go where the wind goes and this year's winds on the Pacific coast are the first in 8 years strong enough to bring the little guys (each is about 6cm) ashore. It's been almost a decade since we have seen them but the purple lines the length of beaches indicates there is no population problem in the world of purple flying jellyfish. The beach could be kind of gooey after a couple days of wind. Although, not harmful touching them may cause minor skin irritation... So, step lively through the gobs of sailors... by the wind sailors!
Comments