One of the common finds on the strand line is Hornwrack, which I had always taken to be a dried bit of some seaweed. However, it is actually the remains of a colony of bryozoa or moss animals.
The fronds of the Hornwrack are made up of small cells, rather like a honey-comb. Each of these would once have been occupied by a tiny creature. All that remains in my specimen, picked up on Aldeburgh beach, is the "comb" as the occupants have gone.
Under higher magnification the structure of the Hornwrack becomes visible and one can see the individual cells and the surrounding "teeth". What was their function? Maybe they are part of the "frame" to the hood that remains on some of the cells. These also show a thin flap, which looks as if it would be a lid but these critters were not supposed to have lids so I don't know what they are.
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