Topline:
Swarms of strange, blue and translucent jelly fish-like creatures have again washed up on Southern California beaches.
What are these creatures? They’re known as velella velella, which, despite their jelly-like nature and gentle stings, are actually colonies of organisms — and not poisonous. They are tropical creatures that usually live in the open ocean.
So far they have been spotted this past week at various SoCal beaches, including Huntington Beach, San Clemente, Crystal Cove, in the South Bay and San Diego.
Why now? Velella velella are nicknamed “by-the-wind sailors” because their movement is at the mercy of the wind and ocean currents.
They’ve washed up after another wet and rainy season and typically appear during El Niño years. They were also spotted last year in early April.
Go deeper: What We Know About The Odd Blue Creatures Washing Ashore On SoCal Beaches
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