portuguese man of war miami beach washup

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Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. Sail away, sail away, sail away.Ĭopyright © 2023 NPR. She says they're mostly harmless, unlike their relatives, the Portuguese man-of-war, though she still advises against touching these tiny, shipwrecked sailors.ĮNYA: (Singing) Sail away, sail away, sail away. They definitely cannot choose where they want to go, hence why they're getting washed up on the beach, right? It takes the right currents and wind to - I guess wrong, for them - to wash them up.īLOCK: Kalman Passarelli says it usually is a springtime phenomenon.ĬHANG: And if you happen to be at the beach and stumble upon a few, don't worry. KALMAN PASSARELLI: They rely hundred percent on the wind and the currents to move them around. And one is for defense.ĬHANG: A cooperative of sorts, and a reminder that life on Earth is truly weird.īLOCK: As for why they're showing up on California shores, well, it's their drifter lifestyle. And they all work together, kind of like coral, and they all have a different purpose. And if you look really closely, all those little things hanging down that look like tentacles are all different organisms within the same colony. KALMAN PASSARELLI: It's a colony of animals. She explained that what looks like a single creature is actually a colony comprised of many different individuals. Purple flags flew across Treasure Coast, South. As spring break revelers flocked to beaches in South Florida and South Carolina recently, so did the dangerous Portuguese man o' war.

Portuguese men o' war washed up on a beach. As they bob along, they slurp up plankton that gets tangled in their tentacles.ĬHANG: And if you look a little closer, as biologists tend to do, Kalman Passarelli says the Velella velella is truly more than meets the eye. Beachgoers beware: The Portuguese men o' war are ‘some of the most toxic animals in the world’ said biologist. And it's thought to be somewhat, like, of a camouflage and maybe even kind of a sunscreen because they're so close to the surface.īLOCK: Close to the surface because, when they're out at sea, they float on top of the water, sails above the surface, tentacles dangling below. KALMAN PASSARELLI: They're a bright, beautiful blue. And in addition to the animals' tiny sails, she says their color is striking. Velella velella.ĬHANG: Kalman Passarelli says she's seen those washing ashore lately near the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, where she works, in San Pedro, Calif. Say it with me, Melissa, really, really fast. KALMAN PASSARELLI: The scientific name is Velella velella. JULIANNE KALMAN PASSARELLI: And that's where the common name comes from - by-the-wind sailor.īLOCK: By-the-wind sailor - or to a biologist, like Julianne Kalman Passarelli. But these coin-sized creatures have a distinctive, clear mohawk sticking up from their bodies - a sail, if you will. All month long, huge fleets of tiny sailors have been washing up on Southern California beaches.

Portuguese man of war miami beach washup