( KTLA ) – Bizarre sea creatures that resemble jellyfish have returned to Southern California waters a year after millions were spotted between Ventura and San Diego counties and beyond.
Velella velella, more commonly known as by-the-wind sailors , are oval-shaped blobs that live on the ocean’s surface, propelled by small, stiff sails that catch wind and take them across the globe. Ocean currents and winds move the creatures from place to place, allowing them to catch their prey with their stinging tentacles.
Always lurking, but not always in the area, the Vellela vellela are often pushed toward the California coast by powerful spring storms.
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Velella velella captured off the coast near Newport Beach, Calif. (Delaney Trowbridge/Davey’s Locker) -
Velella velella captured off the coast near Newport Beach, Calif. (Delaney Trowbridge/Davey’s Locker) -
Velella velella captured off the coast near Newport Beach, Calif. (Delaney Trowbridge/Davey’s Locker)
Last year, Californians visited local beaches in droves to catch a glimpse of the creatures both on the beach and atop the waves. In 2014 and 2015, trillions of them washed up along the eastern Pacific coast, according to Cassandra Davis at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.