By-the-wind Sailor
Velella velella
By-the-wind Sailors drift across the open ocean, propelled by a stiff triangular sail that catches the wind. Feeding polyps hanging beneath the blue float snare zooplankton, fish eggs, and small larvae with nematocyst-bearing tentacles. Each apparent individual is actually a colony of specialized polyps working together.
- Type
- Water
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- By-the-wind Sailor