Blue Jelly fish like creatures washing up on California beaches

they are not jelly fish,The oval-shaped, flat creatures with tiny blue tentacles may look like little jellyfish but are in fact hydroids called Velella velella, more commonly known as "by-the-wind sailors."
and no they are not fatal...
Marine biologists are advising beachgoers to not touch these creatures as they have tentacles, which can leave small stings. However, Velella velella are not considered dangerous to humans.
 

deaver said:
they are not jelly fish,The oval-shaped, flat creatures with tiny blue tentacles may look like little jellyfish but are in fact hydroids called Velella velella, more commonly known as "by-the-wind sailors."
and no they are not fatal...
Marine biologists are advising beachgoers to not touch these creatures as they have tentacles, which can leave small stings. However, Velella velella are not considered dangerous to humans.
Click to expand...
And they aren’t harmful to humans. I was thinking of the Portuguese blue jellyfish. A sting from those can be fatal. My mistake
 
Most jelly fish and most marine creatures that have stings can be lethal to some people, kind of like bee stings. But not to most.

The Portuguese Man of War is one of the more nasty ones. And it is probably fatal to a higher percentage of folks than most. Not to all however, I have been stung twice that I know of by Man of Wars. Hurt like hell, but I'm here to tell the tale. I know others who have been stung by them, but no one I know has died.

Stings can vary from very mild to not so mild, and vary from person to person. I opened the trawl bag on a shrimp boat in rolling seas once. Some kind of jellyfish, not Man of War, spilled out on me knee deep. Will not forget that experience...
deaver said:
Marine biologists are advising beachgoers to not touch these creatures as they have tentacles, which can leave small stings.
Click to expand...
Probably good advice. When in doubt I gently touch with the little finger on my left hand, not sure it will always save me, but so far so good.
 
I remember a few years ago the Jersey shore had these little round jellyfish looking creatures, called Salps, were washing up on shore by the hundreds, maybe thousands. They were freaking out beach goers.
https://www.nj.com/cape-may-county/...d-up-at-the-beach-recently-what-are-they.html

Misc_IMG_6995-Edit_07_06_2015-1.jpg

Salps are harmless but Portuguese man of war jellyfish, which are deadly, had also washed up on Jersey shores. And other small jellyfish like creatures carrying paralyzing toxins have also. I love being at the ocean but have no desire to get in it.
https://pix11.com/news/portuguese-man-o-war-washes-up-on-new-jersey-beach/
 

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