Mysterious ‘alien egg pod’ pulled from Oklahoma lake, officials warn not to be ‘alarmed’ (Page 4 ) | September 3, 2024

Annonce:

Soft shells

Though underwater the slimy sac might look like and feel like jelly, it is actually “a soft shell made of a substance called chitin that can harden when dried up to preserve the organism until rehydrated.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service compares the creatures to fragile versions of coral. “But coral builds strong, sturdy structures that last long after the animals they house have died. Bryozoans also make structures from calcium carbonate, but far more fragile ones.”

And while they show up in large numbers during the summer, the colonies mostly die in colder temperatures, but not before leaving behind tiny egg sacs called statoblasts that will help foster new colonies the following spring.