Small animals
Moss animals
Freshwater Bryozoa (Plumatella, Cristatella)
Colonies of tiny animals, each with a crown of tentacles that snaps back into the colony when touched.
What to look for
- Branching tubes or jelly-like mats on stones, roots and wood.
- Each animal extends a horseshoe or ring of ciliated tentacles (lophophore).
- Overwintering bodies (statoblasts) like little brown discs.
Size in the field
Colonies are visible to the naked eye; the tentacle crowns are best at 20–40×.
Where to find it
Undersides of stones, submerged wood and plant stems in ponds and slow rivers.
Clips 0
No clip of this group is on the site yet. The description above is enough to check your own observation.