Salps

[momsalive1]

I ran into these at the NJ beach a few weeks ago - first time I'd ever seen or heard of them. They look, and feel, like bits of jellyfish, but they aren't and they don't sting. They are chordates, and so are closely related to vertebrates (us!).



This is what I saw, individuals floating in the water, some with guts full like this one.  Evidently they often come in chains....








I ran across I blog entry talking about how they can be commandeered by an Alien looking parasite.