See Alien-Looking Egg Sacks In Texas Lakes? Leave Them Alone

We love our lakes in East Texas and across the state. They are great for swimming, fishing, jet skiing and many other water activities. Another great aspect of our lakes is the unique and diverse wildlife that call it home. Kinda like the ocean, there are creatures in our waters that, if we don't know what they are, could be kinda unnerving. One such lake creature is the bryozoan as they can look like an alien egg sack.

What is a bryozoan?

A bryozoan is what's called a sessile organism. They attach themselves to the under water part of a boat dock or a tree that's under water or underwater brush piles. These gel balls contain several million zooids that help filter out plankton in the lake and/or microscopic plants. These zooids also are a good food source for fish, insects and snails.

If you see one of these gel balls in the lake your in, be glad. It means that the water quality is good in that lake. They are also harmless to humans.

Don't Kill or Remove These Blobs

On the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension website, there is instructions on how to control the colonies of bryozoans that could be in your lake or pond. The thing is, they do so much good for that body of water, I wouldn't recommend doing it.

They do have a scary look to them, like a pod from an Alien movie. But bryozoans are not alien and they will not burst from the water and attach to your face. They are good for that environment.

Sightings in East Texas

The most common sightings of bryozoans have been in the Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Toledo Bend Reservoir. You can find out more details about those sightings at bradwiegmann.com.

READ MORE: You Can Legally Fight Someone in Texas as Long as You Do This

READ MORE: Check Out This Map of Some Amazing Texas Waterfalls