We were doing some field surveys this morning (2 April 2025) along the rocky shore when Eric noticed these unusual compacted packets of By-the-wind Sailors (Velella velella) floating in tidepools.
He recognized what was going on right away (and there's a hint in the photo above), but it's likely this only happens under rare circumstances.
Here's another photo with an even stronger hint:
Giant Green Sea Anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) have been feeding on By-the-wind Sailors...and there have been so many of them recently that the anemones are expelling large packets filled with the indigestible parts of Velella.
The basic idea —
an anemone swallows lots of Velella, digests what it can, and then expels the leftover bits from its mouth in a dense ball (like an owl pellet) surrounded by mucous.
Here's a photo just before the Velella packet is expelled:
With thanks to Eric for noticing and documenting this interesting phenomenon!
4 comments:
Hi! This was super interesting. Thank you for sharing, as always. Sending much love and happy spring. Augusta & Flori
This is so fascinating! Love your blog! It is so relevant to our life on the coast.
We have seen so many of these creatures on Doran Beach this year. A note to dog owners — don’t let them near them. A lot of dogs are getting sick because they can’t resist them. - Alix
Wow, great catch! Per the previous comment, there was a story in the SF Chronicle recently about Velella on Bolinas Beach, where they interviewed a guy who said they call Velella "dog potato chips".
WOW! Super cool! Thanks for noticing and posting! Also fascinating about the dogs not able to resist what looks like a treat..."dog potato chips"! Hahahaha! (Though not funny for the dogs!) :(
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