Valonia ventricosa: The Giant Single-Celled Organism (Also Known as The Sailor’s Eyeball)

Have you ever seen something that has immediately made you do a double take? Valonia ventricosa is one of them – and that is even before you discover how truly strange this organism truly is. At first glance, it looks like a green bubble, perhaps a glass bead that has found its way into the sea or onto the beach. However, that double take (and a little investigation) would soon tell you that you have come across something considerably stranger than a glass bead. This is one enormous single-celled organism. Image Image CreditFound in tropical and subtropical areas, Valonia ventricosa is a species of green alga. It is mostly discovered around coral reefs and rocky shores. It has several other names – the best by far of which is the sailor’s eyeball – and it is easy to see why it attracted that particular nomenclature. The rounded translucent spheres can be easily converted into a visual metaphor for the sole remains of some unfortunate mariner. Remarkably, they can grow up to several…