Those visiting local beaches this weekend may have noticed small blue blob-like creatures scattered across the sand. While they may look otherworldly, millions of these organisms actually live in the Pacific Ocean off of the California coast and wash ashore semi-regularly due to ocean currents and wind, according to Heal the Bay Aquarium Director Marslaidh Ryan.
Called Velella velella, these creatures float on the surface of the water and have a sail-like structure that juts out from their top which catches the wind and dictates their movement, giving them their colloquial name: By-the-Wind Sailors.
However, while each one of these little rafts may look like a single animal, they are actually composed of colonies of many small organisms and are considered members of the taxonomic class of hydrozoa.
“They’re thought to be a type of hydrozoan which is a gelatinous ocean animal and they have different variations that span pretty much every ocean on Earth,” Ryan said. “You can find them washing up or in the open ocean pretty much globally.”
However, she added that the species spotted this week in Santa Monica and other parts of California are specific to the West Coast and were likely brought onto the beaches due to recent weather conditions coinciding with the a group of the organisms floating nearby. This typically occurs every 1-3 years, usually in the springtime on the West Coast.
“They’re very much dependent on the winds that they follow, they don’t have any other type of locomotion, so they’re kind of at the mercy of the ocean currents,” she said. “So you have to have winds and ocean currents headed towards shore at the same time that there is a population offshore.”
When they do wash ashore, Ryan said the majority of the organisms do not survive.
“Most gelatinous species are not really designed to touch anything,” she said. “They don’t fare well if they wash up on a sandy beach, it’s very damaging to their bodies.”
As climate change continues to worsen, resulting in more frequent and intense storms and warmer ocean temperatures, Ryan said it is possible creatures like these could become stranded on beaches more often.
“It can certainly change ocean currents and winds, so it might affect how often we’re seeing them,” she said. “We can see them potentially a lot more if we have ocean currents headed towards the shore more frequently.”
She added that human impact on the environment significantly affects these creatures in other ways as well.
“All of these ocean animals and creatures need a clean environment to thrive in and because they’re a filter feeder and have a gelatinous structure, they’re super sensitive to changes in water quality and ocean pollution so that can be very detrimental to these species,” she said.
However, Ryan said, when they do come ashore it can serve as a valuable educational experience.
“I think it’s a great teaching moment to show folks and to get people to come out and see them in the wild and get pictures and to see what these creatures look like,” she said.
While By-the-Wind Sailors do have tentacle-like features and are related to the highly venomous Portuguese Man o’ War, Ryan said they are not typically harmful to humans. However, she cautioned those who come across them to be cautious, respectful and to remember the role humans play in shaping the future of these creatures and others.
“Whatever we can do to keep the environment clean and understand that it affects everything from whales all the way down to these types of gelatinous creatures, keeping the ocean clean is of utmost importance.”
To learn more about By-the-Wind Sailors see below:
