'Jelly brains' emerge in Pennsylvania lake
Gooey blobs are living in a Monroe County lake.
Visitors to Skytop Lodge near Canadensis just might catch a glimpse of these melon-sized bryozoans, or jelly brains, reports WNEP-TV.
The colony of moss animals is harmless and indicators of healthy water. They were intriguing to guests on guided nature walks near Skytop Lake last week.
“They look like a glob of fish eggs and people get excited, like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what kind of fish laid this?’ ” naturalist Rick Koval told WNEP. “ ‘Look at how big it is.’ It’s actually thousands of small invertebrate creatures that live in harmony together.”
Lodge volunteer Ron Dickey told WNEP how the blobs feel.
”It was heavy, very dense. It was weird. It was cold. I shouldn’t say this but liver, raw liver, it’s kind of that texture,” said Dickey.
Despite it sounding like how your head could feel after waking up, these "jelly brains" are actually a good thing! Come down before the Fall season to see them up close on a guided tour with our resident naturalist, Rick Koval. Thanks @WNEP for sharing this story! https://t.co/lHxMDUZ62z
— Skytop Lodge (@SkytopLodge) August 20, 2019
Naturalists say the jelly brains will break down in the fall so there is still some time to find some for yourself.
Steven Adams is a Tribune-Review manager/photography. You can contact Steven at sadams@triblive.com.
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