Millions of strange blue creatures have washed up on rocky beaches from Oregon to California this spring, surprising many tourists .
They are Velella velella, also known as “wind sailors”. These little creatures have fins that resemble the brim of a hat.
Although it looks like a single entity, Velella velella is actually a collection of organisms belonging to the class of hydroids. They spend most of their lives in the ocean, feeding on fish larvae or zooplankton. Velella velella is harmless to humans.
There are several theories to explain the brilliant blue color of Velella velella. According to Anya Stajner of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (USA), Velella velella's color helps them camouflage themselves by blending into the waves. Another theory is that this color protects Velella velella from harsh UV rays.
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Velella velella live for months and travel around the Pacific gyre, adds marine biologist Julia Parrish at the University of Washington. Typically, they travel along the coast of California to Central America, then across Hawaii to Japan and back.
Scientists are studying the link between Velella velella and ocean temperatures. In 2021, Parrish used 20 years of data to study mass strandings of Velella velella and found that they were more likely to occur during warmer-than-normal winters.
As the world’s oceans continue to warm due to climate change, it’s likely that more Velella velella will wash up on shore, and they’ll thrive at sea. This has scientists like Parrish wondering whether these charismatic little blue creatures could have more complex impacts on the ocean than we thought. For example, Velella velella feeds on zooplankton, fish larvae, and especially fish eggs, so it could start to affect fish.
According to VNA/Tin Tuc Newspaper
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