Origins of No. Bruns.’s aquatic ‘blob’ a mystery
Cambrian-era organism floats to top of local pond
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

North Brunswick residents living near Boyd Ponds have seen the blob.

As the township dredged Pond A on Independence Boulevard the last week of August, what at first looked to residents like unbiodegradable materials churning up in the water soon appeared to be alive, and possibly more treacherous.

Cathy Nicola said she remembered fellow neighborhood residents watching the dredging of the waters gasp as a mysterious mass almost 2 feet long appeared.

“These white, gelatinous masses started appearing,” Nicola said. “None of us knew what they were. There was one in particular that was huge, so we called it ‘the blob.’ ”

Afraid of the unknown, the Township Council candidate immediately telephoned Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) of Middlesex County, the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station in New Brunswick, to seek answers for her neighbors.

RCE program associate Richard Weidman and his staff met with Nicola and visited the pond Sept. 3.

“It was something we had not seen before in Middlesex County,” Weidman said. “We retrieved a portion of the animal and brought it to the Rutgers Cooperative Extension water quality specialist on Cook Campus for identification.”

Although Weidman said the blob is not the result of mutations caused by radioactivity from nuclear power plants, nor an alien from outer space, it is a rare primitive animal life form called Pectinatella magnifica.

Also known as bryozoans, which means “moss animal,” these creatures can form large colonies as it did in Boyd Ponds. The colonies are soft and transparent, allowing for a clear view of their internal structures, Weidman said.

“Quiet ponds, backwaters, bays and slow streams, especially with sunken logs, branches, twigs, rocks and aquatic vegetation, are ideal habitats,” Weidman said. “They are usually not found under markedly polluted conditions.”

The colonies may exceed 2 feet in diameter, Weidman said, but the largest one living in Pond A measures about 1.5 feet long, Weidman said.

Because the organism is listed in reports from the Pacific Northwest and it appears to be native to the far northeastern and possibly midwestern United States, Weidman said, “Why it showed up in this location is a mystery.”

Possibly waterfowl or recreational activities transported it to Boyd Pond, Weidman said.

Even more remarkable to Weidman than the blob’s mysterious appearance, is its fossil records date as far back as 500 million years ago.

“Most bryozoans are marine animals, but the phylacolaemata class, which residents discovered, is found exclusively in freshwater areas,” Weidman said. “This species is state-listed as a rare species and dates back to the Cambrian era.”

The township dredged Pond A as part of an ongoing Boyd Ponds renovation project, according to Lou Ann Benson, the township’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services director.

“It’s a cooperative program between our department and the township’s Department of Public Works,” Benson said. “Several years back, the township dredged Ponds B and C, and the project will continue with landscaping work.”

Benson said the blob’s existence should not interfere with the remainder of the project.

Weidman said, “A fishery biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey does not believe this primitive animal to be invasive or a danger to anyone.”

Weidman said in larger numbers, however, the organisms could clog screens and grates of water intakes.

Greater-sized colonies could grow in the summer when water temperatures reach 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, however, Weidman said they usually die off when temperatures cool to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Installing fountains to improve oxygen levels could reduce the number of these animals in the pond,” Weidman said.

Although Benson said township officials met with residents on Sept. 21 to discuss the beautification project of Boyd Ponds, they have not discussed the implementation of a fountain.

For now, Weidman said the slimy creature will continue to inhabit the depths of the newly cleaned pond water.

Along with his staff, Weidman credited RCE’s Department of Water Resources, Cook College, Rutgers University and the U.S. Geological Survey office for providing help in identification and information on this freshwater organism.