The mysterious find puzzled the town’s residents 
Local fishermen pulled something unusual and strange out of the lake 
On a tree branch, right in the water, hung translucent sacs resembling eggs with a hard shell Some of them were the size of a soccer ball, and something seemed to be moving inside 
The locals were horrified when they understood what it really was Continued in the first comment 
An ordinary summer morning in Oklahoma turned into a sensation when fishermen walking along McGee Creek noticed something strange: translucent sacs resembling eggs with hard shells hung from tree roots directly in the water.
Some were the size of a soccer ball, and something seemed to be moving inside…
However, scientists rushed to calm the worried public. The mysterious sacs were not eggs and certainly not alien creatures, but ancient organisms called bryozoans.
These tiny invertebrates have inhabited the Earth for hundreds of millions of years — long before dinosaurs appeared.
Bryozoans are colonial animals; each individual is called a zooid. They live together in gelatinous clusters surrounded by a hard shell and act as a single organism.
They have no heart or lungs but have an amazing ability to sense stimuli and clean water.
Surprisingly, these clusters have now settled on the tree roots in the lake. Scientists explained that the reservoir has become an ideal environment for them — clean water, suitable temperature, and plenty of food.
Bryozoans feed on microscopic algae and bacteria, filtering the water and improving its quality.
These creatures are hermaphrodites: they have both male and female reproductive organs and can clone themselves.
Under favorable conditions, they release special cells — statoblasts — from which new colonies grow. True masters of survival.
Researchers added that the presence of bryozoans is a good sign. They are sensitive to pollution, so their presence indicates that the lake’s ecosystem is healthy.
Moreover, bryozoans are completely harmless — both to humans and animals.
So if you find yourself near a body of water in summer and notice mysterious gelatinous balls underwater, don’t be afraid.
