Residents of Oklahoma found a mysterious hard sac-like ‘egg’ hanging from the tree roots at the lake, but scientists are now calming the locals, who immediately jumped to conclusions of alien proportions, by explaining that it’s an ancient creature
These creatures have found the right space and environment, so its likely they’ll be around a lot this summer.
Locals in Oklahoma discovered large, jelly-like sacs with a hard exterior hanging from tree roots; they immediately thought the answer was extraterrestrial. Or at least not good news.
But scientists, reassuring the public, have said that the locals in the area got a rare treat – the glimpse of the reproductive system of an ancient animal that’s been around since before the dinosaurs.
Immediately, locals put it up online, and spectators began commenting on the extraterrestrial-looking eggs. But scientists say that the creatures were simple bryozoans. They’ve been around for hundreds of millions of years, before the first dinosaurs roamed the planet. The animals may actually be good news for the lake.
These bizarre creatures are actually hundreds of tiny bryozoans.
Officials reassured the public that the animals are absolutely supposed to be there
Bryozoans clone themselves into large masses to filter tiny particles out of the water for food, cleaning up the lake. The critters normally reside in ponds and lakes. This time, it was found in McGee Creek Reservoir, located on the southwest edge of the Ouachita Mountain Range.
Bryozoan clumps aren’t an egg or just one animal at all. They form this hard shell as they are hundreds of creatures banded together. The pods, known as zooids, are each a fraction of a millimeter long. They lack any respiratory or circulatory systems, but their central nerve ganglion allows the animal to respond to stimuli.
These pods are hanging from tree roots, and actually help clean the lake
The tiny invertebrates possess both male and female reproductive organs, allowing them to self-clone and spread through clumps of cells on the organism known as statoblasts.
Each statoblast can reproduce asexually. They do this by breaking off from a colony, allowing the animal to reproduce rapidly if the space and the weather are suitable. The animals eat phytoplankton and bacteria lurking in water.
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Fossil records suggest they may have evolved from an ancient marine worm. Their grandparents, ancient bryozoans, date back as far as 470 million years. For perspective, dinosaurs came around 245 million years ago.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) shared the photos on social media. “What is that??? If you’re out boating somewhere like McGee Creek Reservoir you may notice these strange jelly-like balls hanging from submerged tree limbs,” begins the post.
“These are Bryozoans, and they’ll likely show up in large numbers this summer. Don’t be alarmed these microorganisms are native and are of no danger to you or wildlife. In fact, they are an indicator of good environmental quality and clear water!”
Kris Jenner, 67, Debuts Drastic Weight Loss and Makes Fans Convinced She’s Aging in Reverse
Kris Jenner just reminded everyone who gave her famous daughters their stunning looks. The legendary momager just blew up Instagram after she posted new photos of herself looking quite skinny and incredibly youthful. The comment section lit up with impressed fans. So, let’s also bask in the glory of Jenner’s eternal beauty.
Usually, Kris Jenner’s Instagram is a proud mama zone where she posts her daughter’s accomplishments and only occasionally sprinkles in a photo or 2 of herself. In addition, Jenner has always kept the outfits she wears online quite humble. So you can only imagine everyone’s surprise when Kris recently broke out of her shell.
The 67-year-old leader of the Kardashian-Jenner clan posted a photo of herself looking exceptionally fit in a skintight leather-looking top and matching pants. What’s even more unusual were Kris’ arms, which she almost always keeps covered, especially in public. One comment even said, “I don’t think I’ve seen her arms, like ever.”
The internet instantly blew up over Kris’ weight loss transformation. And, indeed, the famous momager is flaunting her slimmed-down physique. She also recently made a red-carpet appearance at the ACE Awards in New York, and we could see that Jenner looked quite petite.
Kris’s comment section was utterly in awe of her new look as people also noted that she not only looks skinnier, but she’s also shed quite a few years off her appearance:
- “Kris is Benjamin-Button-ing.” — alexaathegreatt / Instagram
- “Why did I think this was Kim in a Kris wig.” — emily_puga / Instagram
- “God let me be this young and pretty in my 60s.” — omannadi / Instagram
- “You do not age 😍😍😍” — brookeashleyhall / Instagram
Of course, there were also people questioning Kris’ methods, but her family has a history of dealing with naysayers. Just recently, her youngest daughter Kylie shut down rumors that she’s had a lot of plastic surgery done. And, indeed, looking at how gorgeous their entire family is, you can’t deny the simple power of Kris’ genes.
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