Gooey ‘moss animals’ wash up along Alabama lakes, and they’re as creepy as they sound
Sticky balls of something akin to phlegm are washing up along Alabama’s lakes, and state officials have offered an explanation that will be of little consolation to people who step on them.
The globs are alive — as in slimy, asexual creatures, according to the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division.
And they can grow to the size of basketballs.
“This time of year we get lots of photos from lake-lovers inquiring about gelatinous orbs of arcane origin. This is actually a colony of critters,” the state wrote in a Facebook post.
The gooey balls are officially known as bryozoans, but a lot of people call them “moss animals,” the state said.
“The colony is relatively firm, but the inside is gelatinous and slimy to the touch. It is almost entirely water,” the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources reports.
“Each animal in the colony has tentacles that they use to catch food. ... The colony may be small or larger than a basketball. Often several colonies are formed near each other.”
The clumps form in the spring and continue to grow into the fall, the state says. In some cases, a layer of algae is added to the mix, but experts aren’t sure if the relationship is beneficial to the bryozoans.
State officials jokingly referred to the creatures as “The Blob” on social media, a reference to a gelatinous movie monster from the 1950s that absorbed everything it touched. Some Facebook commenters saw the resemblance, while others noted the creatures resembled jellyfish.
“If you zoom the picture out a little, you’ll see a pair of socks and the sleeves out of a T-shirt nearby,” one man wrote.
“I’ve watched a lot of alien movies. I’d still keep the plasma rifle close by,” another said.
“Are they good to eat? Asking for a friend,” a commenter said.
This story was originally published July 27, 2021 at 6:12 AM with the headline "Gooey ‘moss animals’ wash up along Alabama lakes, and they’re as creepy as they sound."