If this happened in the summer, “06880” would be inundated with photos.
But it’s still April (and I think every Westport family is away this week, during school vacation).
That’s why Jeanine Esposito is the only person to have sent “06880” a photo of salps.
One salp …
She and her husband Frederic Chiu saw “thousands” at Compo Beach Tuesday night.
The gelatinous, barrel-shaped balls are washing up on beaches all over the East Coast. Only as big as a marble, and often called “jellyfish eggs,” they’re not related to jellyfish at all. They have no stingers, and are harmless.
They pump water through their bodies, and filter out the phytoplankton that is their food. But when that is unavailable, they wash up on shores.
Jenaine sent a link to an article. It explains all you ever wanted to know about salps.
Except where the name comes from.
… and several. (Photos/Jeanine Esposito)
