Velella velella
E400656
Velella velella is a small, free-floating colonial hydrozoan, often called "by-the-wind sailor," that drifts on the ocean surface using a distinctive sail-like structure.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Velella | 1 |
| Velella velella canonical | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
cnidarian
ⓘ
hydrozoan ⓘ marine invertebrate ⓘ |
| adaptation | sail used to catch wind ⓘ |
| bodyColor |
blue
ⓘ
violet ⓘ |
| class | Hydrozoa ⓘ |
| colonyType | floating colonial polyp ⓘ |
| commonName |
by-the-wind sailor
ⓘ
purple sail ⓘ |
| diet |
fish larvae
ⓘ
plankton ⓘ small crustaceans ⓘ |
| distribution |
Atlantic Ocean
ⓘ
Indian Ocean ⓘ Pacific Ocean ⓘ worldwide temperate oceans ⓘ |
| ecologicalRole |
planktonic predator
ⓘ
prey for surface-feeding predators ⓘ |
| family | Porpitidae ⓘ |
| feedingType | carnivorous ⓘ |
| genus |
Velella velella
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
surface form:
Velella
|
| habitat |
open ocean surface
ⓘ
pelagic zone ⓘ |
| hasStructure |
chitinous sail
ⓘ
gas-filled float ⓘ gastrozooids ⓘ gonozooids ⓘ tentacles ⓘ |
| kingdom | Animalia ⓘ |
| lifecycleStage |
minute medusae in plankton
ⓘ
polyp colony at surface ⓘ |
| lifestyle | holoplanktonic ⓘ |
| locomotion | wind-driven sailing ⓘ |
| movement | passive drifting ⓘ |
| orientationOfSail | oblique to body axis ⓘ |
| phylum | Cnidaria ⓘ |
| predator |
sea slugs
ⓘ
sea turtles ⓘ surface-feeding fish ⓘ |
| relatedTo | Porpita porpita ⓘ |
| reproduction |
alternation of generations
ⓘ
asexual reproduction in polyp colony ⓘ sexual reproduction in medusae ⓘ |
| size | up to about 7 cm in length ⓘ |
| stingEffectOnHumans | usually mild irritation ⓘ |
| strandings | often mass-stranded on beaches ⓘ |
| taxonRank | species ⓘ |
| venom | nematocysts present ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.