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Egg Sac
This picture was taken a few weeks ago on Masonboro island. This gelatinous sac is home to thousands of lugworm eggs. Although the worms are burrowed underground, their eggs lay above the sand anchored in these mysterious masses. These sacs are an example of an animal adapting to its habitat. These can be found along the shoreline in areas exposed during low tide and underwater during high tide. At the time the picture was taken, there was about 2 centimeters of water above the sac, but it was not low tide yet. The sac itself protects the eggs in the ever-changing shoreline- whether they are submerged underwater, or completely exposed to the air. It also keeps all of the eggs together, so none can wash away. These sacs are also an example of symbiosis. It is believed the mass of eggs provide a substrate for diatoms while they return the favor by providing the sacs with oxygen, giving them buoyancy.
Egg Sac
This picture was taken a few weeks ago on Masonboro island. This gelatinous sac is home to thousands of lugworm eggs. Although the worms are burrowed underground, their eggs lay above the sand anchored in these mysterious masses. These sacs are an example of an animal adapting to its habitat. These can be found along the shoreline in areas exposed during low tide and underwater during high tide. At the time the picture was taken, there was about 2 centimeters of water above the sac, but it was not low tide yet. The sac itself protects the eggs in the ever-changing shoreline- whether they are submerged underwater, or completely exposed to the air. It also keeps all of the eggs together, so none can wash away. These sacs are also an example of symbiosis. It is believed the mass of eggs provide a substrate for diatoms while they return the favor by providing the sacs with oxygen, giving them buoyancy.