Photo 11315809, no rights reserved, uploaded by Peter de Lange

Attribution By Peter de Lange
no rights reserved
Uploaded by pjd1 pjd1
Source iNaturalist NZ
Associated observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Violet Sea Snail (Janthina janthina)

Observer

pjd1

Date

October 14, 2017 03:30 PM NZDT

Description

One of many mostly still living specimens noted washing up on beach with millions of Velella velella and hundreds of Physalia physalis (I have never seen anything like it before). The living Janthina still had their bubble rafts (as it shown here) and some were attached to, and apparently consuming Velella. From the amount of Velella already washed ashore and bleached I suspect this 'blue tide' has been going on for a few days. Not long after I observed this I heard that similar 'blue tides' of Velella, Physalia and Janthina were happening along the Taranaki Coast and Wellington Harbour.

Associated taxa
Sizes