Things that look like bumpy, transparent pickles have been washing up on beaches in Oregon.
Of course, the “sea pickles” aren’t really pickles at all. They’re pyrosomes, or colonies of multi-celled organisms named zooids which are individually the size of a grain of rice. These zooids pack tightly together to make larger versions of themselves, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Pyrosomes are animals and are in the same taxonomic phylum as humans. Inside their bumpy exterior is a gelatinous center with cilia to pump water and a mucus net for feeding. They can reach up to 60-ft. long, according to Oceana, a non-profit organization. At times, bioluminescence makes the organisms glow.
“They're not the easiest things to describe,” Tiffany Boothe, administrator at the Seaside Aquarium in Seaside, Ore., told USA Today. For example, National Geographic refers to them as the “cockroaches of the sea.”
Boothe said she heard recently a diver took a photo of themselves riding a large pyrosome. According to the NOAA, pyrosomes are a common sight in Oregon.
“We have been getting numerous specimens in our three different sampling gears: vertical net, Bongo net, and Beam trawl. At one of our nearshore stations, the Beam trawl brought up 2.5 gallons of pyrosomes,” said NOAA Fisheries. “Pyrosomes have been mystifying beachcombers up and down the coast as they wash up on beaches. These gelatinous organisms join a list of other gelatinous zooplankton, such as Aequorea spp., Doliolids, and the pteropod Corolla spectabilis, that have been seen in large numbers over the past few years.”
Researchers in Alaska were puzzled by the creatures in 2017, since it was the first time they had ever been observed that far up north, said USA Today. Typically, pyrosomes are found in warm, open waters, said the outlet.
So far, researchers do not know what the impact of the organisms popping up further north will be. While fish have been snacking on them, USA Today reported that they have no known nutritional value.
“Pyrosomes can grow rapidly and are efficient filterers with the potential to have a significant impact on phytoplankton blooms,” said NOAA Fisheries.
Boothe said recent storms in the south Pacific Ocean created strong ocean currents leading hundreds of people to see pyrosomes along the Oregon coast. These specimens have been around 2-ft. long each.
“When somebody who hasn't come across one of these on the beach comes across one, it creates a lot of questions because they are so so odd-looking,” Boothe said. If they are washed up on the shore, that means they are dead, she explained.
So far, there have been no other reports of the creature in any other Pacific states, said USA Today. Boothe encourages people to take a close look at pyrosomes if they stumble upon one the next time they take a stroll on the beach.
People who do decide to pick up pyrosomes should expect them to feel both gelatinous and rigid, similar to a jellyfish. If you are not sure whether you have spotted a pyrosome or another organism such as a jellyfish, avoid touching it.
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