SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A number of blue jellyfish-like sea creatures have once again been found beached up and down the San Diego shoreline.
The blue, almost translucent organisms known as Velella velella, or “by-the-wind sailors,” were spotted in places like La Jolla, Pacific Beach and Coronado, according to iNaturalist — the third time in as many years beachgoers have encountered the creatures along the shore.
Velella velella is a type of colonial hydroid , a species similar to the Portuguese Man O’War that is characterized by traveling in groups. The creatures float in colonies, using a sail-like appendage to travel the water’s surface with the wind — hence the name “by-the-wind sailors.”
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The species are mostly found in the warmer waters of the world’s oceans. Their preference for more temperate waters means they are a common sight off the West Coast, often getting pushed onto the shores of California, Oregon and Washington by the breeze and tide…