Stotine hiljada indigo‑plavih Velella velella, poznatih kao "jedriličari na vetru", izbacile su se na obale Kalifornije, Oregona i Vašingtona u aprilu–maju 2026. Naučnici ističu vizuelni spektakl i pozivaju građane da prijavljuju zapažanja kroz iNaturalist. Pojava bi mogla biti povezana sa toplijom zimom i morskim toplotnim talasima, ali su potrebna dodatna istraživanja.
Stotine Hiljada Indigo‑Plavih "Jedriličara Na Vetru" Preplavile Pacifičke Plaže — Naučnici Pozivaju Građane Na Posmatranje
Enormous volumes of mysterious blue creatures known as Velella velella, like these at Santa Claus Beach in Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County, have been washing up all along the California coast, driven by offshore winds.
CARPINTERIA, CA — Stotine hiljada sjajno indigo‑plavih organizama, poznatih kao Velella velella ili „jedriličari na vetru“, izbacile su se na obale Kalifornije, Oregona i Vašingtona u proleće 2026. godine, ostavljajući posetioce plaža i naučnike bez daha.
„Okean je pun dragulja,“ rekao je Douglas McCauley, direktor Benioff Ocean Initiative pri Univerzitetu Kalifornije u Santa Barbari, opisujući neobičan prizor.
Velella, koje podsećaju na male, plitke raftove sa trokutastim "jedrom" na površini, upadaju u oči zbog svoje intenzivne tamno‑plave do ljubičaste boje i svetlucavih, gotovo kristalnih jedara koja ih nose vetrovi. Dok se ovakve flotile povremeno pojavljuju duž pacifičke obale u proleće kada vetrovi okrenu pravac, poslednja nakupljanja bila su naročito gusta i prostirala su se kilometrima po pesku.
Šta su Velella velella?
Velella nisu prave meduze, već pripadaju hydrozoima u okviru koljena Cnidaria. Svaka "vlelica" je kolonija sitnih polipa spojena u jednu plutajuću jedinicu: centralni otvor podseća na mali vulkan, a oko njega su stotine sitnih ustiju‑polipa koje se hrane. Njihova trokutasta jedra koriste vetar da ih pomeraju po površini mora.
Zašto je ova pojava značajna?
Naučnici, uključujući Stevena Haddocka i Rebeccu Helm, ističu da je ovakav masovni događaj ne samo vizuelno impresivan već i važan za istraživanja. Jedna studija sugeriše da veće koncentracije velella mogu slediti toplijim zimama; zima 2025–2026. bila je rekordno topla u nekim delovima pacifičke obale, uz zabeležene morske toplotne talase. Ipak, potrebna su dodatna istraživanja da bi se uspostavila čvrsta veza.
Velella se hrane zooplanktonom, ribljim jajima i krilom. Na velikim flotilama često se mogu videti i veliki grdosijski ribe (mola mola) koje se hrane ovim kolonijama. Unutar velella često žive i fotosintetičke alge koje doprinose energetskom budžetu organizma — svojevrsne „solar‑ćelije“ na površini mora.
Životni ciklus i ponašanje
Svaka velella može da proizvede hiljade sitnih, slobodno plivajućih izdanaka, veličine semenke susama, koji se otpuste u vodu. Ti mladi stadiji tonu i razviјaju se na morskom dnu, a kasnije se vraćaju na površinu kao nove plutajuće kolonije. Istraživači takođe proučavaju specifičan hidrofobni sloj koji im pomaže da ostanu uspravne i da se „samopoprave“ posle prevrtanja u talasima.
Primenjena istraživanja i tehnologija
Velella služe i kao model u različitim poljima: od praćenja razmera prostornog posmatranja (satelit, dron, mikroskopija) do biomimikrije — istraživači u Kini i na Johns Hopkins Univerzitetu proučavaju njihovu primenu u dizajnu bespilotnih površinskih vozila i niskobudžetnih senzora.
Kako možete pomoći?
Naučnici pozivaju građane, nautičare i posmatrače na plažama da prijavljuju zapažanja i šalju fotografije sa uključenim GPS‑om kako bi istraživači mogli precizno mapirati pojavu. Posmatranja se mogu prijaviti putem iNaturalist aplikacije — fotografije, datum i tačna lokacija su od velike pomoći.
Ovaj događaj je odlična prilika za građansku nauku: svako fotografisanje i prijava pomaže da se bolje razumeju migracije, interakcije i životni ciklus ovih fascinantnih organizama.
Izvor: USA TODAY (prilagođeno za srpsko govorno područje). Autori i naučnici spomenuti u tekstu: Douglas McCauley, Steven Haddock, Rebecca Helm.
A close up of the creatures known as Velella velella, or by-the-wind sailors, after washing up on the beach in Carpinteria, California, driven by offshore winds.
These interesting creatures usually float along the surface far offshore but washed up along U.S. Pacific Coast beaches in late April and early May 2026 by the changing winds that move them around the ocean. Not quite jellyfish, they're named velella velella, but are commonly called by-the-wind sailors.
These mysterious blue creatures known as by-the-wind sailors were turning up all along the Pacific coast from Washington to California in late April and early May 2026.
These mysterious blue creatures known as by-the-wind sailors were turning up along the Pacific coast, but especially dense in California, in late April and early May 2026.
A marbled godwit, a shorebird species, forages for food among a dense flotilla of the creatures known as Velella velella that washed up ashore in Santa Barbara County on April 23, 2026.
A marbled godwit shorebird forages for food among thousands of by-the-wind sailors that washed up ashore in Santa Barbara County.
A mixed flock of shorebirds forage along the shore amidst thousands of Velella velella, or by-the-wind sailors that washed up on the beaches of Santa Barbara County, California in April 2026.
A dead Velella velella sits in a tide pool in Pebble Beach, California on Aug. 26, 2014, after millions of the jellyfish-like creatures informally known as "by-the-wind sailors" washed up on Pacific Coast beaches.
These mysterious blue colonial organisms at Santa Claus Beach lined the coast in Santa Barbara County, California on April 3, 2026.
A close up of the indigo blue by-the-wind sailors washing up on beaches along the U.S. Pacific coast on April 23, 2026.
Two shorebirds, a willet and a marbled godwit, forage along the beach in between thousands of by-the-wind sailors, also known as Velella velella, that had washed up on the beaches of Santa Barbara County, California on April 23, 2026.
Two shorebirds, a willet and a marbled godwit, forage along the beach in between thousands of by-the-wind sailors, also known as Velella velella, that had washed up on the beaches of Santa Barbara County, California on April 23, 2026.
Enormous volumes of these mysterious blue organisms, like these at Santa Claus Beach in Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County, reappeared along the California coast in late April 2026, driven by offshore winds. Known as velella velella, they're more commonly called by-the-wind sailors.
A marbled godwit forages among thousands of velella velella, also known as by-the-wind sailors, on a beach in Carpinteria, California on April 23, 2026.
These interesting creatures usually float along the surface far offshore but washed up along U.S. Pacific Coast beaches in late April and early May 2026 by the changing winds that move them around the ocean. Not quite jellyfish, they're named velella velella, but are commonly called by-the-wind sailors.
Enormous volumes of these mysterious blue organisms, like these at Santa Claus Beach in Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County, lined beaches along the California coast in late April 2026, driven by offshore winds. Known as velella velella, they're more commonly called by-the-wind sailors.
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