'Millions' of Jellyfish-Like Creatures Set to Wash Up on California Beaches

Beachgoers in California are finding strange jellyfish-like creatures washing up by the hundreds.

In a video posted Saturday by Dana Wharf Whale Watching, science teacher Nona Reimer (a.k.a. Nona the Naturalist) explained the blue organisms, commonly known as by-the-wind sailors, and shared that even more of the creatures will "wash ashore pretty soon."

"We are seeing millions of these today!" the caption read. "There's going to be lots of sunfish eating them up. Here comes El Niño!"

According to Reimer, the water was "full of hundreds" of the creatures (Velella velella), made up of "colonies of hundreds of polyps" on the bottom. By-the-wind sailors also have tiny hanging tentacles with stinging cells.

Although "for most humans, it doesn't hurt," Reimer recommends against touching the creatures' stingers — instead, hold them by their translucent "sail" that stands upright on top.

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"When they're in the water, they're at the mercy of the currents or the winds that blow them around," said Reimer as she demonstrated how the by-the-wind sailors float on the water's surface like tiny sailboats.

The carnivorous organism, related to jellyfish and Portuguese man o' wars, feed on algae and zooplankton. Ocean sunfish are known to eat by-the-wind sailors.

"Look for them on the beaches; they're going to wash ashore pretty soon," added Reimer.

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With Southern California experiencing heavy winds and storms in recent weeks, by-the-wind sailors have been washing up en masse. Meanwhile, El Niño is expected to bring stronger winds into the area in the summer and fall.