A Violet Snail (Janthina sp.) preying on a By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella)

Velella velella back on the north Oregon coast! Got to the beach this morning and there were slippery smelly drifts of them covering the sand. They're so cool - so blue and strange. I don't even mind the smell. #velellavelella #by-the-wind-sailor #hydrozoa #marinelife #ocean #beach #phoneography #oregoncoast

By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella)

By-the-wind Sailors (Velella velella)

By-the-wind Sailors (Velella velella)

¿Veis esas estructuras similares a gajos de naranja debajo de la campana de la medusa psicodélica (Crossota millsae)? Eso significa que este hidrozoo vivíparo es macho. En las hembras, se verían esferas blancas que crecerían protegidos bajo la campana de su madre, asomando sus tentáculos conforme crecen. Kevin Raskoff/Erik V. Thuesen #hidrozoo #hydrozoa #sea #mar #ocean #oceano

Pretty but do not touch. The "blue button jellyfish" Porpita porpita are not in fact true #jellyfish, but are rather in class #Hydrozoa as a small colony of specialized individuals (outer individuals contain the tentacles with stinging nematocysts). The taxonomy is complicated, but they belong to an order of athecate hydroids (Anthoathecata). This grouping has gone through lots of changes in taxonomy, so textbooks can be quite varied. #MarineBiology
https://www.npr.org/2023/07/09/1186664798/blue-button-jellyfish-texas-beaches?utm_medium=JSONFeed&utm_campaign=news&utm_source=press.coop