While swimming in Portage Lake out at Bootjack recently, Mandy Cadwell spotted something floating in the water. Curious to see what it was, she "fished" it out and snapped the photos here today.

While it looks like something from a science fiction movie (The Blob comes to mind for me), it really isn't. It's what is commonly called a Jelly Ball and are found in ponds quite frequently. They are gelatinous balls that are firm and slimy to the touch and can end up being as big as a basketball. They're actually a primitive colonial invertebrate known as a bryozoa, commonly called moss animals. You don't often see them, since they normally attach to sticks and rocks on the bottom of a pond or lake. This is one that broke loose and then floats to the surface. According to what I found on the Internet, they are harmless to humans and to the water, too. They actually keep the water cleaner, as they are filter feeders with retractable tentacles that feed on many varieties of algae.

Other than being kind of creepy looking and slimy, they aren't anything to worry about and they disappear by themselves in the fall, when the water temperatures drop to 61° and below. It always amazes me, the things we learn from the photos that folks share with us on the Pasty Cam!

Greetings to all:

There are a few hundred ball like objects here on the shore of Lake Superior in Shelter Bay this year. They look like 3-4 inch diameter "Road Apples".

First time in 40 years that I have see Lake Superior cough these hair ball things up.

They are heavy for their appearance of balled up grass but I have not cut one open to see if there is a gelatinous center.

JT

Wow! I've seen these occasionally and always
thought they were masses of fish or frog eggs.
Thanks! No day is wasted if one learns something
new about God's infinitely creative creation.

I have never seen these so this is quite interesting
to me. Thank you for sharing this. Every day I
learn something new.

Too cool...way to go Mandy!!

Brand new knowledge for my mental digestion today. Interesting. I am sure it would feel rather eerie to step on one that was on the bottom while wading.

Wow is the word!

Alex, Alex, Alex............ THE BIRD is the word!

Interesting! Glad to learn about this!

JT, the hair ball things you're seeing might be the
roots and stems of marram grass or other beach
vegetation. I got on Google maps and looked at the
satellite images of Shelter Bay, and I can see many
areas that look like sand beach with grassy
foredunes. Since the levels of the upper Great Lakes
have risen in the last few years, there's been quite
a bit of erosion of vegetated beach areas. All that
vegetation winds up in the water and slops back and
forth in the surf line until it agglomerates together
into ball-like structures. Marram grass is especially
skilled at this, since the roots are very long and
crinkly. To confirm or deny, I'd look for a few
things. First, take a walk along the sandy beaches
and see if there are grassy areas that have eroded,
leaving short "cliffs" where you can see the exposed
roots of the grasses. Next, are the balls spherical,
or do they have something closer to a football shape?
Finally, cut one open. It's likely you'll find not a
gelatinous center, but simply a lot of sand trapped
in the tight matrix of roots and stems; that can
account for the heaviness you noticed.

Jbuck...that would be one heck of a pitch.
Personally, I think it's a promotion for Ghostbusters and the UP has just been slimed.

I'm gonna have to go looking for one tomorrow.

Alex, I made it all the way up Bare Bluff this
afternoon. Whoo-Hooo!!!! Only took me 1-3/4
hours to get up, LOL. Seems like I had to stop
every fifty feet to catch my breath. Positive
aspect of all those rest stops was that it gave
me time to spot several Thimble Berries that
are starting to ripen. It took an hour to walk
down and that was because I twisted my ankle a
bit while on top.

Fabulous day to go there. One more off the
bucket list

The last 4 days here were
on an MTU Geo-Heritage tour. It was fantastic.
We got to go to many new places since they used
the MTU research boat. It will take me at least
a week to get pictures posted for Mary.

D.A....congrats! That is quite the accomplishment and one that you can tell your grandkids about. And I know exactly what you mean when you say: "Whoo-Hooo", it's a great feeling.
Thanks for sharing the experience, dude.

Hmmm. Interesting.