In a peculiar discovery, a strange, gelatinous orange mass resembling a luminescent dinosaur egg was recently extracted from a river. Scientists have identified the object as a colony of Bryozoans, small hermaphroditic organisms that band together to form a pod-like structure. However, the presence of this colony in a canal in Utrecht, Holland, has left researchers puzzled.
Ecologists in the Netherlands were taken aback when they discovered the unusual colony at the bottom of the canal. According to local ecologist Anne Nijs, such phenomena are not typically observed in the Netherlands. Nijs explained that the large mass is formed by several organisms that, at a certain point, form a colony. These colonies can then merge, creating a bag that can reach up to 2 meters in diameter and attach itself to various objects.
Volunteers discovered the grotesque mass clinging to a floating island in the canal. Experts have noted that these colonies can grow up to nearly seven feet in diameter. “It is the first time that they have been discovered here. So it is a very special story,” Nijs said. Despite its unsettling appearance, the phenomenon is not harmful.
The Bryozoans are believed to have originated from the East Coast of the United States and were first discovered in Germany as early as 1883. A similar cluster was spotted in Oklahoma last spring, sparking widespread conspiracy theories about “alien egg pods.” Nijs noted that since 1990, the species has been rapidly spreading across Western Europe.
Bryozoans, or zooids, possess both female and male sex organs, enabling them to clone themselves. There are nearly 6,000 recorded species of these obscure organisms, which are ideally not found in popular swimming spots.