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The Velella velella, a name so nice you gotta say it twice.
Who are they? The tiny disc-like critters are colonial hydrozoans, classified under the phylum of cnidaria, and their eponymous genus of Velella (not a Game of Thrones reference).
- Formally titled the Velella velella (say that five times fast) you may know them as by-the-wind sailors.
- The sailors are a couple of inches long, and vary in striking shades of cobalt and baby blue while they’re alive.
- They have a similar build to jellyfish, but have a small sail protruding from their bell, explaining the name and their migratory patterns.
