Experts Say No Cause For Alarm After “Strange Jelly-Like Balls” Found In Oklahoma Lake

You can expect to find these alien-like creatures in “large numbers” in bodies of water this summer.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… bryozoa?

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) is raising eyebrows after sharing photos of “strange jelly-like balls hanging from submerged tree limbs” in McGee Creek Reservoir.

According to a now-viral Facebook post, the dinosaur egg-looking creatures are bryozoans, and you can expect to find them in “large numbers” in bodies of water this summer.

“Don’t be alarmed, these microorganisms are native and are of no danger to you or wildlife,” ODWC notes in a caption. “In fact, they are an indicator of good environmental quality and clear water!”

The post goes on to explain that individual bryozoans, called "zooids," continually “clone themselves” until they create a “large mass” to filter tiny particles out of the water for food. They owe their jellylike appearance to their soft shell made of a substance called chitin that can “harden when dried up to preserve the organism until rehydrated.”

Also known as “moss animals,” these slimy, alien-like creatures actually play an important role in maintaining water health.

“These animals are an important part of the ecosystem because they help clean the water and serve as prey for mussels, snails, and even small fish,” ODWC wrote. “They often spread through water connectivity or even by passing through the intestinal tract of fish or birds.”

Pretty cool, right?

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