What are the blue blobs washing up on SoCal beaches? Welcome to Velella velella Valhalla
Los Angeles Times -

The corpses are washing up by the thousands on Southern California’s beaches: a transparent ringed oval like a giant thumbprint 2 to 3 inches long, with a sail-like fin running diagonally down the length of the body. Those only recently stranded from the sea still have their rich, cobalt-blue color, a pigment that provides both camouflage and protection from the sun’s UV rays during their life on the open ocean. These intriguing creatures are Velella velella, known also as by-the-wind sailors...

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