SAN FRANCISCO, CA — If you’ve stepped onto Ocean Beach, Baker Beach, or Crissy Field this week, you may have noticed the shoreline looks like it’s been hit by a blue oil slick.
Billions of translucent, cobalt-blue “blobs” are blanketing the sand across the Bay Area and stretching down the California coast. While they look like alien invaders or discarded plastic, these are Velella velella—more commonly known as “by-the-wind sailors.”
The Bay Area Telegraph got to to experience (and photograph!) these weird, ancient little creatures firsthand in SoCal a few years ago. Here’s what to know about them, now that they’re here in the Bay.
What Exactly Are They?
Despite their appearance, they aren’t true jellyfish. They are hydrozoans, a colony of tiny individual organisms working together as one…