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ALSO KNOWN AS BY-THE-WIND SAILORS, sea raft, purple sail and sail jellyfish, these sea creatures are frequently misidentified as Portuguese man o’ war. They live on the ocean surface and have a translucent sail that sits above water. Their deep-blue, surfboard-like base is filled with gas tubes, which is an upside-down hydrozoan polyp. (Once thought to be a colony of polyps, the velella velella is now recognized as a single hydrozoa polyp.) Not true jellyfish, the creatures begin life in the open ocean. The velella velella’s sail sits at a 45-degree slant, angled diagonally either left or right across its length. The wind will send them in different directions, depending on the angle of the sail. They are at the mercy of winds, often blown toward shore with occasional mass strandings on beaches. The velella velella is carnivorous with venomous tentacles below the ocean surface that catch plankton, small fish and invertebrate eggs. If handled, their tentacles are not harmful to humans beyond mild irritation, particularly in the eyes. They are found in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in warmer waters. ■ Class: Hydrozoa Order: Anthoathecata Family: Porpitidae Genus: Velella Species: V. velella
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