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Naturalist's Notes

Trap Pond State Park

by Will Koth, Trap Pond Naturalist

Will Koth Bio

Read Will's bio.

The Neglected Animals

A couple came into the nature center with a “slimy green blob” that they had fished out of Trap Pond. It was approximately three inches in diameter and had formed around a fallen branch in the water. The interior was a transparent green-brown, jelly-like substance with black rosettes covering the surface.

The organism in question was a colony of Bryozoans. Bryozoans are filter feeders similar in form and function to marine sponges, but of an entirely different phylum. Members of the phyla are known as “moss animals” because their outward appearance is of a plant. There are roughly 5,000 species worldwide, mostly marine. They start out as free-swimming larvae, visible only with a microscope, and then attach to underwater structures and reproduce into the large colonies that we can see with the naked eye. At Trap Pond, they usually reach three to six inches in diameter; on rare occasions they have reached the size of a volleyball.

Many folks overlook this interesting animal. They tend to dismiss it as algae or pondweed. The most common species in Trap Pond, Pectinatella magnifica, does not even have a common name. Visitors to Trap Pond State Park can view and study many plant and animal species. The majestic Loblolly Pines, our famous Baldcypress Trees, Bald Eagles and even River Otters can be spotted around the pond. However, I encourage everyone to investigate some of our more neglected wildlife – the tiny insects, the powdery spores and the slimy green blobs.