But they are still jellyfish — quite interesting ones, in fact — but have more of an ant-like sting.
Unless you’ve been living under a proverbial rock with little to no cell reception, odds are you’ve heard about the “those blue things” lining beaches around San Francisco. Upon initial inspection, many people’s minds (including the one that belongs to me) immediately conjured up images of Portuguese man-o’-war jellyfish — cnidarians infamous for their prepossessing beauty and tentacles capable of immobilizing small fish nearly immediately or, if they touch human flesh, cause searing pain. (There’s only one recorded death from a Portuguese man-o’-war, the fatality comorbid with a severe allergic reaction to the neurotoxin.)
These multi-organism creatures are composed of four different types of stylized polyps, or “zooids,” giving them their almost patched-together look and unique ability to drift through oceans. But we digress; these needle-lined sailboats aren’t what is washing up along beaches near San Francisco by the hundreds.
What are piling up on sandy shorelines are Velella velella, commonly known as “by-the-wind-sailors,” per a post on Instagram by the Parks Conservancy. These hydrozoa are the only animal belonging to the Poritidae family — and these otherworldly free-floating hydrozoans live on the surface of the open ocean.
Typically, these lil’ jellyfish live way offshore in open ocean waters, where they feed on microorganisms, not much unlike their other gelatinous kin. When they’ve matured, their small sails perk up, an evolutionary adaptation to help distribute them across the planet by the force of the wind. However, they lack any ability to control these ails.
Because they sail only downwind or at a slight angle to the wind, it’s not rare for literally millions of them to pile on beaches, especially when gusty offshore conditions are present. This is *exactly* what has happened these past few weeks, which has made for social media virality.
The question remains: Can these cnidarians — jellyfish found throughout the world’s oceans — sting you, even if they’re washed up? The answer? Yes. The nematocysts, small harpoon-like needs naked to the human eye that erupt when brushed, can puncture human skin, but they’re no threat to humans. And like all hydrae, their bells (read: the squishy top part) are free of these piercing needles… though that’s by no means an invitation to mess with them.
Just like any other wildlife, on land or otherwise, let them be — even if they’re no longer living — and don’t move the decomposing bodies. Mother Nature has a funny way of tidying up her work without the aid of human hands.
These washed up in droves at Stinson Beach in 2002!