Michigan Has Rock Snot But What The Hell Is It?
I spend a lot of time outdoors in Michigan and one thing I've never heard of is "Rock Snot."
Prior to today, the only rock snot I had ever heard of was this Snot that rocks.
What is Rock Snot?
The scientific name for rock snot is didymosphenia geminata. It is basically a nuisance growth that happens in freshwater rivers and streams that have constantly cold temperatures and low nutrient levels.
Rock snot is a type of algae that is no threat to humans but can be a problem for fish and sources of food for fish in rivers and streams.
I guess if you were trying to walk across a river or stream where the rocks were covered in rock snot, then it might be a problem where you could slip and fall.
You can see from the picture above why people call it rock snot, it looks like nature's snot.
If you ever wondered what a dinosaur booger looks like, the picture above says it all.
The rock snot attaches to rocks, plants, and other items submerged in very cold moving water. It was first found as a native to New York but has been spreading further out west.
According to MLive, researchers at Lake Superior State University are currently doing a study on rock snot.
You could only find rock snot in Michigan in the St. Marys River in the Soo a year ago but now it's being found in the Upper Manistee River.
Researchers are studying to see if this rock snot is going to be a problem in Michigan waters. They have been testing several other streams and rivers in northern Michigan and so far no others have been affected minus the previous two mentioned above.
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