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.

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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.