We had our last BIO 314 lecture on Tuesday 5/12 so students have shifted to full-time work on their research, writing, gathering photos for a class assignment, and getting their field/research notebooks ready for evaluation early next week.
The By-The-Wind-Sailor Velella velella appeared in one of the early MBFE 2015 updates, but students and I remain shocked at the vast number of these little animals that keep washing ashore along beaches near us.
Velella is related to animals like sea anemones, jellyfish, and coral. They have an upright sail that allows them to tack away from the direction of the wind and normally avoid shore. As they drift they dangle tentacles into the water and capture small plankton that they use for food.
On Bastendorf Beach, only a mile or so south of the marine lab, you can see even more of these lovely little animals along the entire length of the beach.
In some places they are stacked several deep on the sand. Sadly, ones that wash ashore die.
Velella are, thankfully, not dangerous to bare feet. It's impossible to avoid these if you want to walk the beach near the water, and they are disturbingly squishy.
The appearance of hoards of these animals appearing on west coast shorelines is not at all unusual, so there is no cause for alarm, though this is amazing.
We are on track and doing great.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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