Jellyfish, Jelly-ish

Two news stories recently about Jellyfish. Rosie mentioned she had seen one on the sand on a trip to the Norfolk coast last month. She is wise enough to know the look-but-don't-touch rule. "National Coastwatch Brancaster" issued a warning in the Eastern Daily Press about these giant jellyfish

"As summer warms our seas, an all-you-can-eat plankton buffet triggers a massive jellyfish baby boom. Because these guys are 95% water and shockingly terrible swimmers, they can't fight the ocean currents. Combine that with strong onshore winds and high spring tides, and they get pushed right into shallow waters, leaving them stranded when the tide goes out." The authority has described the surge as a totally natural event and has urged those visiting Norfolk's beaches not to touch the animals. Dead or alive, these gelatinous tourists can still pack a painful sting. 

Meanwhile, in Wales, the BBC reports a number of velella vellela  jellyfish appearing on the beaches across Anglesey, Gwynedd and Tenby. The popular name for this beautiful blue babies is "by-the-wind-sailors" and they are closely related to the better known, much larger,  Portuguese Man O'War . Jellyfish are freefloating hydrozoans. These ones are about 7cm across.
They have a small sail like structure which catches the wind and moves them, in shoals, across the surface of the ocean. They sparkle in the sunlight. Their sting is milder, but nonetheless painful. 
Such fascinating creatures - very popular in children's cartoons [eg SpongeBob SquarePants] and on CBeebies...