A NUMBER of blue mysterious creatures have been spotted washed up onto the shoreline at Widemouth Bay recently.
'Wind-by-the-sailor' are similar to Portuguese man o' war however do not have powerful stings (Zoë Uglow)
These small, blue, jellyfish-like animals are known by the scientific name of Velella Velella or the more commonly as ‘by-the-wind sailor’.
They are not jellyfish but are similar to the Portuguese Man O’ War, which is a community of organisms that live at the surface of the ocean.
On first glance the blue creatures could be seen as a type of jellyfish (Zoë Uglow)
Fortunately, the stings are not powerful enough to harm humans or dogs.
These creatures rely on the wind to move around the ocean however, they can be blown ashore during extended periods of onshore breezes.