''Pectinatella magnifica'', the magnificent bryozoan, is a member of the

Bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a l ...

phylum In biology, a phylum (; plural: phyla) is a level of classification or taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, in botany the term division has been used instead of phylum, although the International Code of Nomenclature f ...

, in the order Plumatellida. It is a colony of organisms that bind together; these colonies can sometimes be 60 centimeters (2 feet) in diameter. These organisms can be found mostly in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

with some in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. They are often found attached to objects, but can be found free floating as well. They form a translucent body with many star-like blooms along the outside. The density of the organism is similar to that of

gelatin Gelatin or gelatine (from la, gelatus meaning "stiff" or "frozen") is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also ...

, and is easily breakable into smaller chunks.

Gallery

File:Pectinatella magnifica statoblasts (263 23) Statoblast of Pectinatella magnifica, a species of Bryozoa.jpg,

Statoblast Statoblasts are a means to reproduce asexually by a method that is unique among bryozoans and enables a colony's lineage to survive the variable and uncertain conditions of freshwater environments. Statoblasts are masses of cells that function as " ...

of ''P. magnifica'' File:Pectinatella magnifica 8568.jpg, Picked up from water File:Мохуватка чудова. 01.jpg, Exemplar caught in Ukraine in the

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...

near Kyiv

References

Phylactolaemata Freshwater animals of Europe Freshwater animals of North America Animals described in 1851 Taxa named by Joseph Leidy {{bryozoan-stub