Extremely rare floating algae type balls wash up on Sydney beach in their thousands

Thousands of these green little balls have washed ashore on this North Sydney beach. They are spheres of around six centimetres across.

Locals in Dee Why, on the city's North Shore, reported seeing a large number of the strange objects which had washed ashore overnight.
But rather than the green spheres being something from another planet, scientists explained they were a type of sponge-like seaweed that forms egg shapes possibly to protect themselves from predators.
Beach-goers said they'd never seen anything like it, describing the balls as 'alien eggs, 'alien hairballs', Japanese moss balls and UFOs (Unidentified Floating Objects).
'About three days ago, there were a few egg-shaped balls but then today, they were much bigger and everywhere on the beach,' Naraweena resident Jenny Zhang told The Manly Daily.
Scarlett de Villiers from nearby Davidson saw the weird balls on her regular morning beach walk.
'It was a windy day with a very high tide. I picked one up and squeezed it and it was so squishy - but I wasn't sure if it was alive and was worried I might hurt anything inside!' she told the Daily Mail. 'It struck me how perfectly shaped they all were and how green and alive they looked.'
Associate Professor Alistair Poore from the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of NSW said the balls were probably a rare type of living green algae, which has only been seen a handful of times around the world.

'I’ve seen similar things - sometimes dead sea grass can roll around and form balls like underwater tumbleweeds but that’s made of dead material and these look to be living,' he told The Manly Daily.
'It is a habit known as "aegagropilious", where the algae is free living (not on rocks) and forms into spherical balls.'
The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust’s Alan Millar said the algae balls made their way to the beach with the right biophysical conditions, but that these conditions don't align every Spring.

This is the second unusual natural occurence to hit Sydney's beachs in a matter of weeks. Last month, the waves at Manly Beach were lit up a fluorescent blue for three nights by 'agitated' phytoplankton.



Pretty cool all these rare natural spectacles happening lately, lucky Sydney beach goers!

link

a reply to: Lady_Tuatha

Those are beautiful!

Fortunoff home and garden sells facsimiles for $30-$50 each. Lucky they landed out there and not in the USA.

Wow! Very cool!

a reply to: Lady_Tuatha

The Aliens only want you to think they are floating algae type balls washing up on that Sydney beach.


It's an invasion.

I saw it on a Blog in the comments section, so it must be true.

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: Lady_Tuatha

The Aliens only want you to think they are floating algae type balls washing up on that Sydney beach.


It's an invasion.

I saw it on a Blog in the comments section, so it must be true.

They are alien eggs, they know large numbers flock to the beaches in Australia and people will take them home as decoration, or to put into their garden. Then when the time is right, it'll be like the zerg.

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: Lady_Tuatha

The Aliens only want you to think they are floating algae type balls washing up on that Sydney beach.


It's an invasion.

I saw it on a Blog in the comments section, so it must be true.

What kind of alien Mr Slayer? I hope its not like me..coz i am blue..
Just kidding..

I wonder if something happen in the bottom of the sea..?
It looks like something want to eat them and this green run away.. nice thread my friend SnF

a reply to: cheesy

a reply to: strongfp



I dunno, green algae balls or 'Alien eggs' they're cool looking.



I bet they'd taste horrible but prolly very good for you, Cure cancer, fix colon problems etc.

a reply to: strongfp

The zerg? What is that? Should I cower in fear and dread, or get all dressed up and get my hair done?

I lived by the ocean for a couple of years, but never saw anything like that. If I did, I might be tempted to pick up a couple and use them in a garden.

a reply to: aboutface

yeah I declined from using the headline from the source article which was 'Where did the green 'alien eggs' come from? Scientists baffled by UFOs (Unidentified Floating Objects) that washed up on a Sydney beach'

lol

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: Lady_Tuatha

The Aliens only want you to think they are floating algae type balls washing up on that Sydney beach.


It's an invasion.

I saw it on a Blog in the comments section, so it must be true.

According to my 1978 Beezer annual, they bind to the sides of ships and anything else metallic and eat away at the metal to feed. Then they multiply rapidly if they aren't stopped in time.

a reply to: SLAYER69

Hahahaha. I'm still on my first coffee. I forgot it's Saturday morning, different crowd here. SO no fancy clothes then. PJ's it is.

Wow. I never seen nothing like that at our beaches, just boring old sea weed and jellyfishes washing up here lol. Too cool.

Those look like aegagropilas, or as they're more commonly known, marimo.

They form naturally in lakes from Japan and parts of Europe, I never knew anything about them appearing in the Australian ocean though.

They're super cute and make for good aquarium decorations.

They remind me of Tribbles from star trek !

My my! I didn't know that algae had such huge balls.

This could make some money on EBay.

Rather odd that they've appeared on an Australian beach if they're more common in Japan; has there been any weird typhoons or weather patterns that would have blown them so far away from normal? This rather indicates a change in ocean currents.

They are here to feed!

originally posted by: strongfp

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: Lady_Tuatha

The Aliens only want you to think they are floating algae type balls washing up on that Sydney beach.


It's an invasion.

I saw it on a Blog in the comments section, so it must be true.

They are alien eggs, they know large numbers flock to the beaches in Australia and people will take them home as decoration, or to put into their garden. Then when the time is right, it'll be like the zerg.

Reminds me of the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers".......only the 'pods' were a good bit larger.

a reply to: eisegesis

eeeeeek!! maybe the fluorescent blue lights of the ocean waves wasn't 'agitated phytoplankton' at all and indeed was the energy residue of the ship which landed!

*runs and hides under a cushion*