Another ID please?

[Taniwha]

Any idea as to what this "glass ball" looking thing is? I saw another one floating along with the current.

 

[Rick Murchison]

That's a sea pearl.
Probably Ventricana sp or Valonia sp
Sea pearls are the world's largest single cells...
Rick

 

[Taniwha]

Thanks, Rick. I know it's beautiful. Is it an animal? Some kind of coral?

 

[Rick Murchison]

Plant.
Rick

 

[archman]

Those old references to the sea pearls being the "largest single-celled organisms" seem to persist for some odd reason. Maybe it's a lack of interest from marine botanists to make corrections. Or maybe there are simply too few marine botanists, period.

Anyway, the bubble algae display the coenocytic cellular state, but this is found in a heap of other protozoans too. As far as I know, it's the caulerpales clade which holds the title of largest-massing "single-celled" organism. They blow the pants off of most bubble algae, anyway.

But you can pop sea pearls between your fingers. Good times.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Those old references to the sea pearls being the "largest single-celled organisms" seem to persist for some odd reason. Maybe it's a lack of interest from marine botanists to make corrections. Or maybe there are simply too few marine botanists, period.

Anyway, the bubble algae display the coenocytic cellular state, but this is found in a heap of other protozoans too. As far as I know, it's the caulerpales clade which holds the title of largest-massing "single-celled" organism. They blow the pants off of most bubble algae, anyway.

But you can pop sea pearls between your fingers. Good times.

They probably persist because of sheer volume. I have rarely seen any write-up on sea pearls without the claim. I do notice that Humann's latest edition says "one of the largest" rather than the largest.
Thanks for clearing that up...
Now that I've been enlightened I'll join you in crushing the myth
Rick

 

[Tom Smedley]

Put it this way Ricky - It's the largest that I'VE seen. Besides that Sydney is impressed with them and if it impresses Sydney it's good enough for me.

 

[archman]

I'm pretty sure you've seen a lot more Caulerpa than bubble algae, Tom. It's hard to not encounter it in the tropics. You can also drop by some of the better aquarium stores and eyeball the things... they grow like weeds.

 

[Dee]

They also stink like the dickens if you pop one. And the covering is like celephane.

 

[archman]

They also stink like the dickens if you pop one. And the covering is like celephane.

But that's just... seawater inside. Sometimes I CHEW bubble algae for kicks. I chew a lot of plants & seaweeds, actually.

Dee, you haven't been divin' near any sewage outfalls have you? :06: