Velella has been spotted around the world

The jellyfish relative is elusive and difficult to study. Though we don’t know how long they live or their exact habitat range, community scientists have documented their presence on multiple continents.

A world map of velella velella observations. The largest concentration of sightings is on the west coast of the U.S. Other clusters appear around Spain and the Mediterranean and eastern Australia and New Zealand.
A world map of velella velella observations. The largest concentration of sightings is on the west coast of the U.S. Other clusters appear around Spain and the Mediterranean and eastern Australia and New Zealand.

Clusters represent verified observations made by users of the community science app iNaturalist from 2010 to 2024.

Global Biodiversity Information Facility

Sean Greene LOS ANGELES TIMES