Erling Svensen is one of the few who have met and photographed the giant gel balls. (Photo: Erling Svensen).

Mystical gel balls: Are the about one meter (3.3 ft) big gel balls floating off the coast of Western Norway gigantic octopus eggs, or maybe they are alien eggs soon to be hatched? Norwegian marine scientists do not have the answer.

The experienced diver Erling Svensen is one of very few who have observed the strange and slightly scary gel ball twice, the first time was in 2006 in the Matrefjord outside of Rosendal in Western Norway.

– When I touched it, it almost was like a balloon, just more flexible. You could just move your hand and it moved like a kind of gel lump, Svensen said to Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK).

Since the beginning of the 2000s, researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research have counted a total of 17 observations describing a large gel ball that is about one meter  (3,3 ft) in diameter, some completely transparent, observed at a depth of 20 meters (66 ft) and upwards.

Only in July and August this summer, seven of these observations have been made off the coast of Western Norway. Earlier, two gel-like lumps have been observed off the coast of Sweden, one outside of Alaska, and a thick lump was seen outside of Turkey, according to the research portal forskning.no.

Octopus Eggs or Aliens

Some researchers suspect that the gel ball may be an egg from a giant squid (genus Architeuthis), a deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae, but this speculation is controversial.

Norwegian marine scientists have discussed the mystery with their colleagues in the United States, Australia and Europe – but so far they have no clear answers.

Now, some Internet forums are also discussing what the gel balls might be: Are they alien eggs soon to be hatched?

The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research asks for assistance in finding the answer. First and foremost they hope that divers who find the mysterious gel ball can cut a small tissue sample for DNA analyzes.

If you have observed a similar ball, the researchers would like to know where and when, and at what depth? Did it float or was it lying on the seabed?

Have you seen it or know someone who has, then please mail to Professor Gro I. van der Meeren at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research in Bergen – grom@imr.no

Text by: Thor Lanesskog, ThorNews

Categories: Nature, Quirky