Microbiology Findings, #2

After writing Microbiology Findings #1 I still could not stop playing around with my microscope any time I found a puddle of dirty water or went to a lake or forest. Each time I could find something new and kept wondering what could possibly come next so, after some months, here we are with a new collection of adorable weird-looking microscopic wonders.

The first finding is most probably a Cladocera, a tiny type of crustacean:

And speaking of crustaceans, here’s one that really stroke my mind: an Ostracod! I was observing a sample when very suddenly this big dark bean covered my view even giving me a frighten. It essentially is a minuscule and after all cute clam, which in the video below nicely shows how it slightly opens up its two valves and wiggles its… things.

Continuing on the theme of hard shells, look at this particular amoeba; it’s a quite out of focus Arcella, but you can still see its key characteristic: it is surrounded by a circular test with a hole in the center, from where its pseudopods emerge and allow it to eat and move.

Now let’s scale up a bit and enjoy these lovely snails (the second video is actually a macro shot through a camera) The snail is chomping micro-algae on the glass surface.

In the same jar I then found a Chironomid larva:

Which in fact developed and hatched after some days (the first photo is actually snapped from another jar):

Another interesting larva I found is this one of a mosquito:

Next, some curious “sludge worms” I found in a small river in Croatia. They anchor to the terrain and wiggle their tails to absorb food and oxygen:

Here’s a closer look; I think they are Naididae/Tubificidae:

Lastly, the most beautiful microorganism I have found so far: Volvox! I’m so in love with these algae. Basically they aggregate and form these big spheres you see, inside which new colonies (smaller spheres) can safely grow. Aren’t they mesmerizing?

Thanks for reading through! Let me salute you with this giant Desmid and a cute couple of Copepods (the bigger one is a female: those two appendices are its two full egg sacks).