Rotifer microscopy videos

Published: 2024-12-09

I picked up a stick off the ground. I'm on the hunt for an amoeba.

What I found (so far) was a rotifer species I haven't encountered yet. Look at this thing:

This is very different from the rotifers I found in Green Lake, which are more armor plated looking things.

I don't have a great picture, but the green lake Rotifers also have very different "jaws" (or what wikipedia says I'm supposed to call trophi).

They're also much less stretchy by comparison. Their "shell" (is it a shell?) sticks around even after they die. Every once and awhile, I'll run across rotifer grave yards when I pull a water sample.

Chewing

You can see its trophi in action.

• 4x objective
• Speed: 1x

No idea what's going on at the top. Intestines?

Taking a closer look at the trophi:

• 40x objective
• Speed: 3x

Pooping

Do micro organisms poop? Turns out they do.

• 10x objective
• Speed: 1x

Hunting

Do micro organisms kinda look like wieners sometimes? Turns out they do.

• 10x objective
• Speed: 2x

  Death

• 10x objective
• Speed: 50x

I'm not sure why it suddenly died. Maybe too much pressure from the cover glass.

All of his guts flowing out reminded me of this scene from Annihilation.

The hunt for an amoeba continues.