If you're heading to the beach in Oregon this spring, you won't be alone. The sands are awash with thousands of blue jellyfish-like creatures known as velella velella. The small creatures are easily blown to the shores of Oregon, California and Washington during strong winds this time of year thanks to a blue sail on the tops of their bodies. In Oregon, there are more velella velella across beaches than usual, experts say. They are covering beaches including Seaside, Manzanita, Astoria and Rockaway Beach. Incredible: Thousands of velella velella can be seen across Seaside Beach in Oregon after strong winds blew the jellyfish-like creatures onto the shore. Experts say there are more than usual this year . Washed up: They have a small sail on top of their bodies, which means they are easily blown to shore . 'It's probably been 10 years since we've had this many come on the beach,' Keith Chandler of the Seaside Aquarium told KGW. 'These guys are susceptible to the wind and when the wind comes out of the west... they just go with the direction of the wind and that'll put them on the beach.' The small blue sail on their bodies allows them to stay in the sea during normal winds, but they are weak to the strong winds this time of year. But while the creatures, which are also known as 'by-the-wind sailors' or 'purple sails', look strangely beautiful on the beaches, locals have warned admirers that they don't smell as pretty as they look. 'Just so everyone knows, when they start to rot they really stink,' Frank Lehn wrote on the Seaside beach's Facebook page, which shared incredible photos of the creatures. They will smell like fish as they decay and will likely be gone within days, KGW reported. Awash: The creatures are not harmful to humans but will begin to smell fishy as they start to decompose . Beautiful: Thousands of the creatures are washing up across Oregon, California and Washington . Velella velella are not technically jellyfish, but they are closely related to them and are similar to the Man-O-War, although these purple-blue creatures are not harmful to humans. While they do not sting, experts at Oregon State University have warned against walking barefoot through them because they contain a mild neurotoxin, The Oregonian reported. The bodies can pile up as high as six inches, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said. The washed-up creatures have also brought tiny predators, Violet Snails, to the beach, the Beach Connection reported. The snails, which are the size of a thumb nail, feast on the velella velella.
Thousands of the jellyfish-like creatures, known as velella velella, are covering beaches across Oregon, California and Washington . The creatures have small sails on their bodies, which means they are easily blown towards the shore during strong winds this time of year . They are not harmful to humans but will begin to smell as they rot .