Thousands of by-the-wind sailors wash up on Cornish beaches

Thousands of tiny sea creatures that look like jellyfish have been washed up on Cornwall's beaches.

By-the-wind sailors - scientific name velella vellela - rely on warm ocean currents to carry them around the world.

Although they look like jellyfish they are actually colonial hydroids and made up of a colony of polyps.

They are similar to the Portuguese Man O' War but, unlike that species, they are not dangerous to humans or dogs.

Their "sails" allows them catch the wind and travel on ocean currents, using their stinging tentacles to prey on young fish and other small animals.

They are at the mercy of the winds which means they are usually found washed up on beaches in their thousands after high tides or stormy weather.

By-the-wind sailors have been spotted in Cornwall this week, at Watergate Bay, Mount's Bay and Polzeath Beach.

Tracey Williams, from Newquay, came across the little creatures earlier this spring, when they made what looked like a "blue film" over the beach.

She saw them again this week, saying: "There were tens of thousands of them blown up in April and they were really, really tiny - no bigger than a pin head.

"This week's ones were bigger, about an inch wide, and each one has a 'sail' running diagonally across the float."

The direction of the sail determines which way the by-the-wind-sailor will travel.

If the sail runs north-west to south-east along the float, it will drift left of the wind direction and if the sail runs south-west to north-east it will drift right of the wind direction.

Ms Williams said that most of the by-the-wind-sailors blown up this month seemed to be left-handed.

"I would be interested to hear if other people in Cornwall have noticed the same thing, or if they have more right-handers, or an equal number of each," she said.

The Newquay woman, who is the author of Adrift: The Curious Tale of the Lego Lost at Sea, said she was fascinated by the little creatures.

"I suppose it's the fact they are a colony of individuals all working together, and the violet sea snails that follow them and feed on them are absolutely beautiful too.

"The more you look at these tiny creatures, the more you notice about them."