Meet McMurtery the Bryozoan

Absolutely a living freshwater bryozoan blob. Most are in salt water. They build colonies on submerged sticks in the lake.
It is a sign of high water quality. They do not fare well in polluted water.
My friends thought they were fish eggs. They took a spin on the boat and I fished that blob up out of the water and did Mr. Potato Head on it.
When they returned they were pleasantly surprised to meet McMurtrey the Bryozoan blob.(laughing and inebriated)
It is harmless and poses no health threat, however those sissy's would not touch it for nothing.
They did jump up and down on the floating dock to make McMurtrey jiggle to their amusement. Cruelly laughing at him.

Their email: "From the mind of James comes many scary things....

He said these things are some sort of gelatinous animal, can't remember the name."

Of course they cannot remember, they were too inebriated.


Did not look like McMurtrey, but feeling presently at 1:30PM like he looked like this morning. Not sure what we tied on last night Pat.

I have seen them get as big as beach balls. But they collapse under their own weight if taken out of the water at that size.
As kids we used to put them in our bathing suits to enhance our manhood.

This freshwater bryozoan:

""Odd-looking gelatinous blobs are appearing in some Missouri lakes and ponds. I’ve been contacted twice in the last week by persons observing them and wondering what they are. They may remind you of the jellyfish that you have seen in the ocean. There is nothing to fear from these colonial, invertebrate animals called bryozoans. They are from this world.

Most bryozoans live in saltwater environments, and they build stony skeletons similar to those of corals. There is one group of bryozoan species that live in freshwater habitats, including Missouri’s lakes, ponds and streams. Worldwide, bryozoans are found on every continent except Antarctica.

The tiny (about 1mm long) individuals in a colony, called zooids, are filter feeders. They extract plankton, bacteria and detritus from the water and help to recycle nutrients in the water. Their colonies can form gelatinous masses as large as basketballs, although they typically are closer to the size of a softball. Colonies may be found free-floating or attached to submerged rocks, dock supports, logs, plastic debris or vegetation.

Bryozoans can reproduce by several methods. They can form small structures, called statoblasts, which are easily transported to new water bodies by waterfowl. The statoblasts can remain dormant for years and become active again when conditions are good for growth. Colonies can also reproduce by pinching off portions of their gelatinous, zooid-containing material that can grow into another colony.""

Pretty crazy organisms eh Mr. Frankie ?

McMurtery was friendly. Should have kept the ole boy hydrated. Rather quiet after the meltdown.

Wiki says they are harmless. Still considering a soup out of these creatures.

This one a comedian

jamesp. Soup sounds totally gross!!

.....and served only in the finest restaurants!!

Blob drop.... : )
Blop droplets for the kiddies... : )

Bryozoan blob eating fish w/lipstick

Bryozoan coated insect

Mr James, my brother and I never touch them. We thought that the blobs were poison !