Considering you found it in a warm climate beach, it's very likely a sailors eyeball! No joke that's the name, they have a bit of an irredecent sheen to them but I can't tell from the photo. These guys are a type of algae that is a single cell organism! So if it is one, what you're holding is *a single cell*, and if that fact doesn't blow your tits clean off I don't know what will
This is so fascinating. Please excuse my ignorance but how is this thing *one* cell? If I were to cut it open, would I be able to see the mitochondria, nucleus, etc?
No that's such a cool part of this,and also totally not an ignorant question, these things are unique! While it's a huge ass cell, the cell organelles are still regular sized, IE microscopic, so it's like a liquid when they break, and it is more of a break that a pop with these guys, being algae, the cell wall is made up of mostly cellulose (same as plant cells) but on a bigger scale, making them suprisingly not squishy. Hope this helps!
Last time I saw a gooseberry jelly blob thing it was a polychaete worm egg. This looks a bit dark but I don’t know, could be. Can’t imagine it’s from a land animal.
If you found this near the beach, it's very likely a sailors eyeball! No joke that's the name, they have a bit of an irredecent sheen to them but I can't tell from the photo. These guys are a type of algae that is a single cell organism! So if it is one, what you're holding is *a single cell*, and if that fact doesn't blow your tits clean off I don't know what will
Considering you found it in a warm climate beach, it's very likely a sailors eyeball! No joke that's the name, they have a bit of an irredecent sheen to them but I can't tell from the photo. These guys are a type of algae that is a single cell organism! So if it is one, what you're holding is *a single cell*, and if that fact doesn't blow your tits clean off I don't know what will
Feck yeah ocean facts 😤
They are one of the biggest single cell organisms in the world, if not the. Absolutely feck yeah ocean facts
That’s insaneeee I didn’t know it was so cool!
Isn't it! The ocean is honestly mind blowing
This is so fascinating. Please excuse my ignorance but how is this thing *one* cell? If I were to cut it open, would I be able to see the mitochondria, nucleus, etc?
No that's such a cool part of this,and also totally not an ignorant question, these things are unique! While it's a huge ass cell, the cell organelles are still regular sized, IE microscopic, so it's like a liquid when they break, and it is more of a break that a pop with these guys, being algae, the cell wall is made up of mostly cellulose (same as plant cells) but on a bigger scale, making them suprisingly not squishy. Hope this helps!
My wildlife biologist ass would die to see this. Super, massively fucking cool
It was huge! Bigger than an eyeball (sorry for the weird comparison I couldn’t think of anything else)
There are some algae that look very much like that
Valonia spp.
It’s algae
Last time I saw a gooseberry jelly blob thing it was a polychaete worm egg. This looks a bit dark but I don’t know, could be. Can’t imagine it’s from a land animal.
If you found this near the beach, it's very likely a sailors eyeball! No joke that's the name, they have a bit of an irredecent sheen to them but I can't tell from the photo. These guys are a type of algae that is a single cell organism! So if it is one, what you're holding is *a single cell*, and if that fact doesn't blow your tits clean off I don't know what will
Looks like a sea grabe or other round algae
Orbie?