Syracuse.com - Ask the Outdoors Guy: What is that blob in Oneida Lake?

[HuntingNY-News]

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It's a bryozoan colony.

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<p>Each week I get a lot of questions from readers about fish, wildlife and the outdoors in general. Sometimes I can answer the questions. Sometimes I have to do a little research or tap into one of my expert sources to get the answer.</p>

<p>This week's question comes from Robert Schotthoefer, of Solvay, concerning a photo taken by his daugher, Lisa Kimball, of Liverpool.</p>

<p>Schotthoefer wrote: "My daughter took this picture today on Oneida Lake. Any ideas?"</p>

<p>Frankly, I had no idea. I emailed a source of mine in the state Department of Conservation.</p>

<p>"Its a bryozoan colony," he responded. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.rive">According to a University of Massachusetts website</a> that my source referred me to, bryozoa are small, microscopic marine animals that group together in colonies, forming masses like those shown in the picture. They appear to be coral-like, but are "ecological analogs. Bryozoans and corals are in different phyla and are unrelated." </p>

<p>The bryozoa (also called zooids or moss animals) are aquatic invertebrates typically measuring about 0.5 millimetres (0.020 in) long. They're filter feeders that take tiny food particles out of the water using a retractable lophophore, a "crown" of tentacles lined with cilia.</p>

<p>"The colony is gelatinous, firm and slimy to the touch," the website said. "The inner gelatinous mass is 99% water. The surface appears divided into rosettes, each with 12-18 zooids. Massive colonies may exceed 2 feet (60 cm) in diameter, although more typical sizes are 1 foot or less. The colonies form on submerged logs, twigs, even wooden docks."</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bryozoa/bryozoalh.html">According to a UC Berkeley website,</a> "They feed on small microorganisms, including diatoms and other unicellular algae."</p>

<p>One more interesting fact. These little critters have both ovaries and testes, meaning they can reproduce sexually or asexually. </p>

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog