Meet the bryozoans!

 One of the things that I like to do is to take the lens off of the large and majestic and turn it onto the tiny organisms that we rarely notice. While out looking at tide pools, Sheldon from Parks Canada pointed out a few colonies of bryozoans. One colony was on a leaf of kelp that had been torn from the bay, possibly by a strong wave, and tossed up into the inter-tidal zone.

Bryozoa means "moss animal". These invertebrates are teeny-tiny and live in colonies. In that way, they are similar to corals. You can see on the photo a latticework of little boxes. Each box is a home for a bryozoan. Here is a closer view:

Here are some cool facts about bryozoans:

• Once a single bryozoan establishes itself on a kelp leaf or other surface, it clones itself to form a colony. It can also reproduce sexually.
• Those rectangles you see are little houses for each organism. Once established, they never move from their spot. The houses are made of a shell substance.

Of course, there is lots more to learn. Check out this website if you are interested.

Here are a few other bryozoan colonies we found that day. These are attached to a rock. They look different from the kelp colony but are also bryozoa.

The tiny organisms in our world are essential. For example, these are an important food source for other organisms like snails. Everything on this planet is woven together--just like the lattice of the bryozoans!