Velella velella is the Latin name for a “free-floating hydrozoan that lives on the surface of the open ocean." (Wikipedia) They are also known as “by-the-wind sailors.”
When I first saw them on the Oregon coast, I thought they were tiny Portuguese Man O’Wars, the large blue jellyfish-like creature that terrorized my toes with their stinging tentacles during childhood visits to the beaches of South Florida. The velellas do belong the same Phylum (Cnidaria) and Class (Hydrozoa), so they are related.
These little sailors are considered “cosmopolitan,” meaning that they are found all around the globe. More from Wikipedia: “V. velella is at the mercy of prevailing winds for moving around the seas.” They have a sail but no rudder or locomotion, making them subject to mass strandings.
No wonder they are blue. I’ve seen thousands of them, piled up on the beach in the spring. When they’ve been stranded long enough, dried out in the sun and air, they turn white, never to sail the seven seas again.
Metaphor Monday #23
I have never seen such things. Really looking forward to someday visiting your shore and comparing notes!🌺
I saw these in the South of France for the first time a few years ago. I think they look like small Cinderella slippers when they dry out!