Colonies usually attach to some form of structure such as submerged logs, docks, or rocks. Colonies can range in appearance from jelly-like masses (typically what is found in Georgian Bay) to intricate coral-like structures. Zooids feed on microscopic organisms like diatoms and in turn, are fed on by larger aquatic predators like fish, insect larvae, crayfish, and snails.įreshwater bryozoan colonies build gelatinous exoskeletons (outer protective structures) that contain many individual zooids. Individual bryozoans are called zooids and can be viewed with adequate magnification. Moss animals (phylum Bryozoa) are simple microscopic aquatic invertebrates that live in colonies. Dive in to learn about neat freshwater finds from pollen to parasites! Moss Animals For this month’s blog post, we have compiled a list of some of the water wonders that we are most commonly asked about. Every summer we receive emails from residents and visitors with questions about the interesting things they see in the water. “The image quality is not good, but this is most likely a parasitic worm known as a horsehair worm or Gordian worm, a parasite of invertebrates that does not infect humans,” she wrote via email.Georgian Bay and the surrounding inland lakes and rivers are full of wonderful surprises. Vicky Hunt, a research fellow at the University of Bath specialising in parasitic nematodes ( broadly agreed. Anaya added that it is common for hosts to be infected with more than one worm and that crickets can survive infection in the laboratory. “Because of the poor quality of the video, it is difficult to determine whether it is a mermithid or horsehair worm, but it is definitely one of the two,” she said in an email. According to Anaya, mermithid worms commonly infect grasshoppers whereas hairworms infect crickets. She said the grasshopper was likely infected with either a mermithid or horsehair worm.īoth worms have a similar life cycle, in which they infect a host and drive them to the water so the parasite can be released. Reuters showed the video to Christina Anaya, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln specialising in parasites (, here). As before, evidence points to an alternative explanation.
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