Not Man Made

The first time I saw these I thought, here we go again, who let all these bits of industrial waste fall off their boat? And what exactly are they? When you pick one up it is dry yet flexible. The texture is smooth yet grainy. They can break apart, but they are pretty resistant.

There they were, scattered all along the beach. I started to wonder if they were organic. When you look closer you can see they are actually made of sand. 

When I read up on them I found out they are a combination of sand, mucus, and snail eggs! They are called egg collars. The embryos use the jelly for food, and then as the jelly disintegrates the larvae are free to swim away in the ocean! (Nature Detective!)