Electric blue, jellyfish-like sea creatures wash up on SLO County beaches
Thousands of electric blue, jellyfish-like sea creatures washed up on Central Coast beaches this week.
Known by the nickname of by-the-wind sailors, velella velella are hydrozoans — a species related to jellyfish, anemones and corals, according to the U.S. National Park Service.
The oval-shaped creatures are typically 3- to 4-inches long with a translucent, triangular sail attached to it. They eat plankton in the ocean and are blown about the sea by the wind.
Morro Bay Harbor Patrol officer Jeremiah Jacobs said strong northwest winds blow by-the-wind sailors into Morro Bay — a phenomenon he said he notices every spring.
Photos circulated on Facebook of the sea creatures washing up in Cayucos, too.
If you touch one, wash your hands before you touch your mouth or your eyes, Jacobs added.
