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The jelly-fish-like creatures each measure around seven to 10 centimetres, are bright blue and distinguished by a gas-filled float that rises above the surface of the water.
This fin-like structure means that their direction of travel depends entirely on the winds and the currents.
The number of velella that have washed up on North America’s beaches is staggering, with possibly billions stranded.
Kevin Raskoff, professor of Biology at Monterey Peninsula College, told Scpr.org: ‘The numbers, if you extrapolate, are awe inspiring. With some of my students we counted more than a thousand per meter. The numbers get astronomical pretty fast.’
Experts find the creatures perplexing as little is known about their true nature.
The creatures are similar to jellyfish as they sting to stun their prey – though they’re not capable of causing humans much pain - and have a similar structure.
Signs continue to emerge showing that the ocean waters are changing in pH, moving toward a more acidic state. As jellyfish populations explode in specific areas of the oceans, scientists warn of a new era of declining ocean health teaming with imbalances of ecology. In fact, marine biologists are beginning to notice intense jellyfish populations expanding in areas never seen before. These invertebrates can compete with whales for food and threaten their survival. Even more dangerous, jellyfish populations pose an ongoing threat to nuclear power plants, threatening shutdowns.
originally posted by: Lady_TuathaThese critters may be dying out.
originally posted by: Plugin
a reply to: Lady_Tuatha
They can't steer like jellyfish and they always wash up on beaches, just since they increase in numbers you see them much more lately I think.. Don't know that much about them really.
originally posted by: rickymouse
a reply to: Plugin
Now we have to be afraid that the jellyfish are going to take out a nuclear power plant and causing a major event.
originally posted by: ujustneverknow
Really good info , that would explain things !!!
Yeah , someone needs to figure out a way to market them..lol.
they're one of the oddest creatures I have ever seen , really interesting though.
Thanks for the explanation
Each "individual" with its sail is really a hydroid colony, with many polyps that feed on ocean plankton and are connected by a canal system that enables the colony to share whatever food is ingested by individual polyps. Each by-the-wind sailor is a colony of all-male or all-female polyps.