SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Thousands of tiny, oval-shaped blue animals known as Velella velella, or “By-the-Wind Sailors,” have recently washed ashore on Baker Beach in San Francisco. These creatures, which resemble jellyfish but are not, are typically carried to Northern California beaches by strong winds during the spring and summer, leading to their stranding and demise. Velella velella are pelagic organisms that utilize small, rigid sails on their backs to navigate ocean currents.