Mossy mice

They’re fuzzy, they’re green, and they move.

But they’re nothing but moss balls. These cute, tribble-like objects are found on glaciers in Alaska, Iceland, Svalbard, and South America. Scientists call them glacier mice. (check out the picture on the NPR article. They are seriously cute.)

The curious thing about glacier mice is that they move, and they move in unison. All the balls might move to the west, and then they will move to the south. There is a wonderful Shortwave episode where they talk to scientists who put GPS receivers in the balls and studied their movement.

The movement is confirmed, but the reason behind the action is still a mystery. I think the bigger question is, why are they so cute!