An influx of visitors have taken over the shores of Malibu, and they’re not tourists.
Recent reports of blue, plastic-looking bubbles littering the beaches have caused concern among residents.
In a 2014 article by The Malibu Times, the strange, balloon-like objects were identified as Velella velella jellyfish. Other common names for the jellyfish include sea raft, by-the-wind sailor, purple sail or Velella.
The jellyfish live on the surface of the ocean and are deep blue in color, with a sail-like neck that easily catches in the wind to propel to shore where they ultimately die.
While the Velellas do produce toxins effective against prey, rarely do these toxins affect humans, although any handler may have a unique response with direct jellyfish contact.
The Velellas are known to live in warm waters in all of the world’s oceans.