Velella velella / By-the-wind sailor

These strange creatures have been blowing ashore in lots of places around Shetland and Orkney recently - the description on Wikipedia "a cosmopolitan free-floating hydrozoan" sounds very cool, but I've no idea what it means!

When they're on the water they are a lovely blue colour with a paler sail - once they get beached they dry out and look like a wee piece of cellophane (see the extra).  I really struggled to spot them at first but once you get your eye in... 

These ones were on Quendale Beach, but I've seen them on both St Ninian's and West Voe beaches too

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