Millions of Velella velella or “By-the-Wind Sailors” washed up on Nye Beach in Newport this week. (Brianna Bowman/KLCC News)Millions of jellyfish-like creatures have washed ashore on some of the central Oregon coast’s beaches.
Velella velella, also known as “By-The-Wind-Sailors,” are a colonial hydroid species that look like small blue jellyfish. Every year, they wash up on beaches because of strong winter winds. The marine creatures are only a couple inches long, with a transparent fin they use as sails to travel ocean currents. They feed from the surface, using stinging tentacles to hunt krill below them.
Velella velella are a colonial hydroid species that look like small blue jellyfish. (Brianna Bowman/KLCC News)According to Jim Burke of the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, they aren’t dangerous. Still, you might want to watch your step, and your pet.
“They can become quite slippery, especially if they’re on rocks or logs. If your dog eats a lot of them, it’ll get an upset stomach,” he says. “They’re not poisonous, but sometimes they eat more than they want.”
In a few weeks, Burke said, the beached Velella velella will start to die, dry out and biodegrade, creating a fishy smell.
— Julia Boboc/KLCC News
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