Purple Sea Slugs Surprise Beachgoers in Northern California

— -- This was a different kind of purple haze — instead of kissing the sky, dozens of sea slugs washed ashore in California, spreading purple ink on several beaches.

Dozens of sea slugs — also known as purple sea hares — have made landfall in Oakland, Alameda and Richmond, ABC affiliate KGO-TV in San Francisco reported.

Residents said they saw the "blobs" scattered across the sand, oozing purple ink.

Authorities told KGO one beachgoer even called 911, reporting that they thought a little purple heart had somehow ended up on the beach. However, it was not a case of someone leaving his heart in the San Francisco area — just a sea slug.

Sea hares can grow to more than 2 feet in length and weigh up to 15 pounds. They leak a purple ink onto the sand as part of their defense mechanism, but they are not harmful to humans.

“We’ve been seeing them wash up since September, going all through the winter and now even more in the spring. So perhaps it is because of the warmer water,” East Bay Regional Park District naturalist Morgan Dill told KGO.

Dill said it’s unusual to see the slugs in June since they usually wash up during the later summer months. Officials do not know how many sea slugs have washed ashore so far.