Marimos!!!

Who said pets have to be animals? These green furry balls are the legendary marimos a.k.a moss balls (we shouldn't call it moss ball as they are actually photosynthetic aquatic plants!) that originated from Japan, Iceland, Estonia and Scotland. Just like Pandas from China and Koala from Australia, they has been declared as the National Treasure of Japan (wow!) that it is illegal to harvest them from their natural habitats as it will destroy the ecosystem. One of the most popular habitats of marimos is the Lake Akan in Hokkaido, Japan.

I knew that there were such plants years ago when I went to the pet store (I love to window shop in pet stores, hehe) and I think that they are kinda boring. They were just expensive static plants at the bottom of the aquarium (probably staring at you if they have eyes) to me until recently I found out about the name - marimos - and their origins. Marimo is the symbol of everlasting love due to their slow-growing nature and very very long lifespan. They thrive slowly, unnoticably, and quietly.

So the tiny one in the glass bottle is the one who stays with me and accompany me in my dorm. Sometimes we travel to meet his lovely brothers (see the huge ones??).

These guys get 24/7 light continuously. Pampered children, haha.

Nice to see but be careful to hold.

There are plenty of informations about marimos that we can get in the internet. Just google search for them if you guys are interested in these 'fascinating-in-some-ways' creatures. =D