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| By-The-Wind Sailors (Limantour Beach) - Point Reyes 2024 |
I had no idea what these thingies were, but I took a photo for the record. I assumed that they were some form of oceanic plant life.
But no!
Each apparent individual is a hydroid colony, and most are less than about 7 cm long. They are usually deep blue in colour, but their most obvious feature is a small stiff sail that catches the wind and propels them over the surface of the sea.
Having no means of locomotion other than its sail, V. velella is at the mercy of prevailing winds for moving around the seas, and are thereby also subject to mass-strandings on beaches throughout the world. For example, a mass stranding occurs most years in the spring along the West Coast of North America, from British Columbia to California, beginning in the north and moving south over several weeks' time.
Very cool.
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