The return of heat could tempt you to take a dip. Only, it’s almost impossible to put a toe in the water, it’s so hot. In recent days, the beaches of Marseille have been invaded by strange creatures with a pestilential odor. Their name: the velelles.
Who are they ?
Needless to say, their appearance is not the most attractive. This small gelatinous marine animal, which appears in the form of an oval blue ring barely six centimeters long, is part of the same family as jellyfish. It lives in the open sea, on the surface of the water, drifting from one continent to another. But velelles turn out to be relatively harmless. Unlike their cousins, they are very little stinging, especially when they decompose, as is the case in Marseille. The problem: their corpses give off a particularly nauseating odor.
How did they get there?
In general, it is the wind that decides their movement. After a storm, they can be found washed up by the thousands along beaches, mainly in spring and early summer.
Those which were observed along the beaches of Marseille were deviated from their route and pushed towards the coast by the storm which raged at the start of the week. Once stranded, they dried up very quickly. And as they are particularly numerous (we are talking about several tonnes), they stink up the atmosphere.
What to do to get rid of the smell?
To be honest, not much. Patience, in this case, is essential. The odors persist for three to four days. “They do not present any health danger to humans. They have a strange shape and look like small sailboats, they smell a little strong, but it will pass. It’s the living, biodiversity,” comments Hervé Menchon, deputy mayor of Marseille in charge of marine biodiversity. on his account.