Blue Button marine colonies spotted on Mumbai's Chowpatty ahead of monsoon

The Blue Button is a small, jellyfish-like organism that lives a free-floating life on the sea surface. Pic/ Special Arrangement

Ahead of the approaching monsoon, large numbers of Blue Buttons were spotted washed ashore at Chowpatty in Mumbai's Girgaon area on Wednesday morning.

Often mistaken for jellyfish, Blue Buttons are small, floating marine colonies commonly seen on Mumbai's beaches during this time of the year due to changing sea currents and winds.

Marine enthusiast Pradip Patade said, "The Blue Button is a small, jellyfish-like organism that lives a free-floating life on the sea surface. Interestingly, this is not a single animal; it is a colony of several ‘zooids'. The tentacles, feeding and digestive parts, and the central disc are all separate individuals living together as a floating colony that appears like a single creature. Blue Buttons commonly wash up on the city's beaches as the monsoon approaches."

According to experts, Blue Buttons drift wherever winds and surface currents take them. When sea temperatures rise or cyclonic winds intensify, these floating organisms are pushed closer to the shore, which can be seen as a small but visible sign of changing ocean conditions.

It is worth noting that groups such as Marine Life of Mumbai (MLOM), along with several other organisations and independent enthusiasts who regularly conduct shore walks along the city's coastline, have been actively documenting the rich and diverse marine life found along Mumbai's shores.

Did you know?

Despite their jellyfish-like appearance, Blue Buttons are colonies of hydroid polyps, not a single organism. They drift on the ocean's surface, carried by winds and currents, and use stinging cells to catch plankton for food.