USFWS equipment found covered in living 'blob of jelly'

Nov. 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Midwest Fisheries Center shared photos of a telemetry receiver found covered in a living "blob of jelly."

The center said on social media that researchers hauled the receiver up to the surface and were surprised to see it covered in a "blob of jelly" comprised of "thousands of animals."

"Pectinatella magnifica, also known as the Magnificent Bryozoan (what a name!), forms large colonies, sometimes bigger than a basketball," the post said.

An individual creature, called a zooid, is smaller than a sesame seed and resembles "a tiny horseshoe with tentacles," researchers wrote. "These zooids live together in dense, jelly-like masses where they feed and reproduce."

The center conceded the animals "might look strange and maybe even a little gross," but they are a natural part of the underwater ecosystem and pose no danger to people.

"This blob will die and decompose over winter, but its offspring will float away and form new colonies elsewhere next summer," the post said.

Researchers said it was the first time that a telemetry receiver had been found covered in such a colony, although the devices have previously played host to animals including "insects, snails, mussels, crayfish and even the occasional madtom."