Mysterious Purple Sea Orb Stymies Scientists

Yahoo News ^ | 7/28/16 | Stephanie Pappas, Live Science

[NormsRevenge]

"Have a look at that dark purple blob on the left, there."

With those words, scientists aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus uncovered a marine mystery: a small purple orb tucked halfway under a rock off the coast of California.

Researchers are so far stumped as to what the colorful, bumpy little ball might be. Their best guess is that it might be a gastropod (a mollusk such as a snail or slug that belongs to the class Gastropoda) called a pleurobranch — and possibly a new species.

[umgud]

Does it taste like chicken?

[Larry Lucido]

Wondered whether anyone would get the reference. :-)

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Lol...how many of us FR denizens can finish that line?

[stylin19a]

You have been stymied !

[JoeProBono]

[piasa]

Looks like a more colorful version of a freshwater bryozoan colony.

[a fool in paradise]

Poke it with a stick.

[dr_lew]

I was gonna say! I think I’ve seen a few of them around the house ... grandkids ...

[Zeppo]

What could possibly be more enjoyable than reading about ‘stymied scientists’?

(Well, maybe ‘baffled boffins’ might do it...)

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

A new kind of Lichi nut.

A Barney dropping.

Bill Clinton’s nose after a good night of partying.

The BLOB RETURNS!

Hillary’s brain.

Joe Biden’s brain.

MOBY GRAPE!!

[Trillian]

[DAC21]

Peyote button, far out man.

[Yardstick]

Do not taunt purple fun orb.

[Fresh Wind]

I’m not saying it’s aliens, but...

[MayflowerMadam]

That’s what came to my mind first. (Mine are blue, not purple.)