Strange Jelly-Like Egg Pods Found in Oklahoma Lake; What Are These Creatures?

Odd jelly-like egg pods have been appearing in a lake in Oklahoma, with initial sightings being just the beginning.

Strange Jelly-Like Egg Pods

Images of the bizarre pods have surfaced online, revealing jelly-like pods that have a hard exterior and that hang from tree limbs that are submerged.

The photos have sparked confusion and a little fear. In fact, some people think that these pods could have alien roots.

However, these balls actually aren't eggs. They are actual living creatures, and an army of them could surface over the summer.

Images of these creatures have been shared in the Facebook account of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), with several netizens engaging on the post.

Nevertheless, officials say that they are not alarming and are not a cause for concern.

Bryozoans

These creatures are actually animals called bryozoans, which have been present for the last hundreds of millions of years. They have been living on Earth since before the earliest dinosaurs stepped on the law.

These bryozoans typically clone themselves into large masses in order to filter small particles out of water for food consumption. They ultimately end up cleaning the lake, making them crucial parts of the ecosystem. They also serve as prey for small fish, snails, and mussels.

Officials say that it is likely for large numbers of bryozoans to show up over the summer. They also add that these creatures are native and do not pose any danger to wildlife and humans. In fact, they serve as a good indicator of clear water and good environmental quality.

Though bryozoans may have a bizarre appearance, they are actually coated with chitin, which is similar to a crab shell. This chitin hardens when dry in order to protect the creature.

Clumps of bryozoans actually have hundreds of creatures, called zooids. Each one has a length that does not exceed a millimeter. They live with each other in the slimy mass.

Such creatures do not have circulatory and respiratory systems. However, they do have a central nerve ganglion, which enables them to respond to stimuli.

The small invertebrates also have the reproductive organs of both males and females. Such features enable them to clone by themselves and spread through cell clumps on the organism, called statoblasts. The statoblasts can asexually reproduce if they break off a colony. This allows the clumps of bryozoans to spread further in larger numbers in favorable conditions.

Such animals prey on bacteria and phytoplankton within the water.

Based on fossil records, ancient bryozoans date back up to 470 million years ago. This suggests that they could have evolved from a prehistoric marine worm.

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