Rare, purple sea snails wash ashore on San Diego beaches

SAN DIEGO (KSWB/KUSI) — Beachgoers in San Diego may have spotted some glistening, purple shells reminiscent of small gemstones in the sand recently.

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography have identified them as a rare species of sea snail called Janthina. They are known for their colorful, violet shells and their ability to float thanks to a natural “bubble raft.”

The Janthina, which were recently found on La Jolla Shores, are usually found in sub-tropical to tropical seas, according to Scripps Oceanography researchers. They can sometimes be found along the coast of Southern California due to warmer waters flowing toward the shore.

Check out the photos by Scripps Oceanography PhD student, Anya Stajner, below.

According to the researchers at Scripps Oceanography’s Pelagic Invertebrate Collection, the snails can eat the by-the-wind sailors, or Velella velella, which have also washed ashore in San Diego in the winter and spring. Janthina are also known to consume the Portuguese man o’war, a creature that is similar to by-the-wind sailors due to its sail-like appendage.