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!”
“Like two peas in a pod!” This is what Richard Gere’s firstborn looks like, who is in no way different from his father
In 2019, Richard Gere and his wife Alejandra Silva became parents to a boy. A year later a second son was born. Although these are the couple’s first children together, they both bring experience from previous marriages into raising them.
Gere has a 22-year-old son named Homer James Jigme from his previous marriage to Carey Lowell. Richard Gere rose to fame through outstanding performances in films such as “Pretty Woman” and “An Officer and a Gentleman.”
Before his marriage to Silva, he was married to model and actress Cindy Crawford, with whom he was frequently seen on the red carpet and on magazine covers, before they separated after four years.
Seven years after this divorce, Gere married Carey Lowell and had his son Homer with her. During his relationship with Crawford, he had no desire to have children, unlike with Lowell. Homer was already known to the public at an early age due to his prominent parents.
When Gere’s marriage to Lowell ended in 2003, the family’s private life was heavily discussed in the media. Homer, who has a half-sister from his mother’s previous marriage, became big brother last year to another half-brother born to Alejandra Silva.
Homer himself leads a rather withdrawn life in New York and inherits not only his father’s charm, but also his attractive looks. Although he normally avoids publicity, he made a few public appearances with both parents as a child.
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