BLUE TIDE Mystery as hundreds of stunning blue sea creatures wash up on popular UK beach – do you know what they are?
HUNDREDS of stunning blue sea creatures have washed up on a popular UK beach with mystery surrounding what they might be.
The jellyfish-looking critters have bemused beachgoers after they appeared across the North Wales coast.
The sea of “By-the-wind-sailors” reportedly washed up in Anglesey and the Gwynedd coast and are a close relation of the Portuguese Man o’ War, North Wales Live.
Locals reported seeing hundreds of the creatures with some saying they looked “bizarre” and were like “alien jellyfish”.
Frankie Hobro, a marine specialist and owner of Anglesey Sea Zoo told the outlet: “They blow in on winter storms and are therefore noticed less often. June is late in the season to see them.
“We had a warm spell in late May followed by an unsettled start to June, which may be why they’re appearing now.”
They are usually spotted around the coasts of Britain and Ireland, usually around autumn and winter when storms occur and can often wash up in their hundreds or thousands, dubbed by some as a “blue tide”.
The small, vibrantly blue drifters are also known as Velella velella and they are not classed as jellyfish, even though they may resemble them.
Instead, they are “colonial hydroids” and are made up of colonies of tiny individual animals, say the Wildlife Trust.
Very little is known about the colonial critters which can measure up to 10cm in length but tend to be smaller.
Their common name comes from a fin which looks like a small sail which allows them to catch the wind and travel on warm ocean currents – it sits atop a blue disc while tentacles hang down into the water.
Their tentacles deliver a sting which is how they prey on small fish and other prey during their travels.
But Frankie added that their stings are “not dangerous” and while they may be mild, “they can still irritate you”.
She advised covering up while in the water, especially if there is a Portuguese Man-O’-War lurking nearby which can deliver a notoriously painful shock.
