'Incredible' blue sea creatures appear on beaches

Hundreds of astonishing blue sea creatures have washed up on Cumbria's beaches. The blue translucent creatures, known as by-the-wind sailors or velella velella, are closely related to the Portuguese man o' war. Their nickname comes from the small stiff sail they use to catch the wind and propel themselves across the ocean's surface.

Resident Louise Nicholson mistakenly thought they were seaweed and almost picked one up before capturing images of the large number of the creatures on St Bees beach. She described them as "absolutely beautiful" and said it was a fantastic find on a beautiful day.

Georgia de Jong Cleyndert, Head of Marine at the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, clarified that while the blue creatures look like jellyfish, they are actually colonial hydrozoans. Each by-the-wind sailor is made up of hundreds of tiny, specialised animals working together as a single floating colony. Though they are not jellyfish, they do have a mild sting, even after washing up, so it is advised not to touch them.

Cleyndert explained that the blue translucent sail allows these unique creatures to drift vast distances across the sea's surface. Conditions are right for this phenomenon, particularly after periods of persistent onshore winds, leading thousands to wash up on our shores.