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Project Noah Nature School
Bryozoa
This frilly lettuce shaped specimen is bryozoan, commonly called moss animal. It was a dark greyish purple with hard frilly surface which showed minute ridges and pores/openings.
Washed ashore onto mudflats/mangroves on Westernport Bay - Victoria.
Most bryozoans live in colonies with individuals measuring about .5mm. An individual is known as a zooid and these have specific functions. They feed with lophophores (hollow tentacles with cilia) that protrude out of the many small openings on the exoskeleton reinforced with calcium carbonate.
Please read reference for more and interesting information on these animals.
They are found in both marine and freshwater environments.
Spotted on Jan 4, 2022
Submitted on Jan 6, 2022
7 Comments
What a weird critter. And weird is good. Thanks for the spotting and good notes, also the good interaction with Sukanya and Neil.
I think it's a cool specimen Neil. Thanks. This, and a clump of half dried colony of ascidians (sea squirts) were all I could find on the mudflats. Lots of crabs were there but were so quick to duck back into their mud holes that I couldn't photograph any.
Such an interesting spotting. I've never heard of this before. Cool find, Leuba.
Thanks Sukanya. You too keep well & safe.
Leuba, we NEVER learnt anything ELSE about Bryozoans...that is what perplexes me...how did this odd bit of knowledge make me a better zoologist/citizen/whatever? I have learnt so much more from PN...and all without the sword of exams hanging over my head.
I wish I could have seen it in situ...maybe when the world recovers. Stay safe till then
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Glad you didn't learn about the respiratory system, because there isn't any! I believe gas exchange takes place through the "skin". You probably knew more about these creatures than I ever learnt when I did Zoology about 46 yrs ago !!
I have un-learnt and re-learnt many things since -thanks to PN and other expert input.
This specimen would have looked lovely in situ with its delicate feeding tentacles wafting in the water.
They taught us about digestive system of bryozoans...no one knows why...this is the first time I am seeing one. Thanks, Leuba.