Nature & Environment

Brain-like blob found in a Vancouver lagoon

By T.K. Randall
September 1, 2017

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Resembling a big brown ball of slime, this bizarre organism is actually made up of hundreds of smaller creatures called zooids and is typically found hidden at the bottom of rivers and lakes.

The specimen found recently was plucked from a lagoon at the southern end of Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia after being spotted due to the low water level.

It is the first time a bryozoan has been found in the region and the discovery could mean that the species has started to spread northward as a result of warmer global temperatures.Given how difficult they typically are to spot however it's possible they've been there for a while.

"I think we're near the northern limit of them," said biology professor Ian Walker from the University of British Columbia. "With warming climate, they might migrate somewhere farther north."

"I can only really speculate how they might have spread."


Source: National Geographic

Tags: Bryozoan