In this blog I read, it talks about little moss balls that are nicknamed Glacier Mice. These moss balls roll on glaciers in Alaska and Iceland. The crazy thing about them is they roll in herds. Scientists are trying to find out why and how they move together on ice, and how they survive living on a glacier. Scientists think the moss “forms when airborne moss spores gain a foothold on a small rock or similar debris.” After that, the moss grows and shape into an oval-like ball of green. Tiny communities of creatures are created inside the balls and develop and thrive. The scientists decided they wanted to know more about these glacier mice, and started tagging them. They called it “mark and recapture.” They tagged 30 balls, and the scientists ended up returning 6 summers to check with the tagged moss balls, and they also put markers on the glaciers to track where the balls were going and coming from. They found 18 out of the 30 balls they tracked.
They discovered that moss balls can live for six years or longer, and that the balls move because of the sun. When the sun melts the glacier, the ball shades only the spot of the glacier that it is under. That part of the glacier doesn’t melt, so eventually, the ball ends up being on top of an ice tower about 2 or 3 inches tall. Then, the ball rolls off the tower. The moss ball continues to do this in order to survive, and move. But, what is amazing, is the balls don’t roll on their own, they move with the other moss balls, and they even change direction together.
Questions:
How many scientists study these amazing creatures?
Why do they travel together? How do they communicate?
What insects live inside them?
Here is the blog I used:
On an Alaskan glacier, little green moss balls roll in herds
