Sea balls

Rare card · No. 33631

Sea balls are a group of aquatic phenomena. They form through the movement of discarded plant debris by water, which rolls up fibre into compact spheres. The most well-known examples, found on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, are formed from decayed leaf fibres of the seagrass species Posidonia oceanica, though other variants worldwide are made of different organic materials; Mediterranean sea balls are typically referred to as Neptune balls. They usually have a diameter between 22.8 mm (0.90 in) and 53.6 mm (2.11 in). There is a distinction between sea balls and algae that grows in spherical shapes, such as species in the genus Aegagropila. Neptune balls, and particularly fibres obtained from them, have been used for millennia, such as for making shoes, ancient medicine, or to caulk ships, though the balls' formation process and composition has only become clear since the late 19th century. Potential modern applications make use of the properties of Neptune balls which are rare in...

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