It was a warm October day in Massachusetts when phone calls started streaming in to beach offices, aquariums, and even 911 lines. Beaches near Boston were coated with a thick, glistening layer of jellylike ooze. Beachgoers were mystified and worried. Some thought there had been an oil spill, but police and fire personnel verified that it was not oil.

More slimy masses kept washing up onto the seashores. People noticed that some of the gooey blobs appeared to be pulsating with life. When they looked closely, investigators saw that the slime was made up of small, individual critters - each transparent and the size of a fingernail. But what were they? Look for clues in this chapter to help you determine what the slime was.