Overview
- Velella velella covered stretches of sand at Baker Beach beneath the Golden Gate Bridge this week in a vivid, short-lived wash-up.
- Scientists and park officials identify the species as hydrozoans, not true jellyfish, that float at the surface with a stiff sail.
- Point Reyes National Seashore says wind shifts drive the colonies toward land, where they strand in large numbers.
- Once on the beach the organisms dry quickly, turn brittle and translucent, and resemble cellophane before breaking down.
- Similar strandings were reported earlier this month along the Central Coast, in San Diego County, and offshore in the Santa Barbara Channel, pointing to a broader seasonal pattern.