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Specimen
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A short video highlighting Cyclops - one of the most common genera of freshwater copepods. Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Cyclops derive its name from the single eye located in the middle of its head - in Greek mythology, the Cyclops were giant one-eyed men of great strength. This tiny animal can only grow to between 0.5mm to 2mm in length but is potentially harmful - Cyclops can be an intermediate host to some pretty nasty parasites such as roundworms. There’s also a link between copepods and cholera in some tropical countries – the cholera germ hitches a ride on the tiny one-eyed monsters. From water samples collected at Kingfisher Pond in Northstowe, Cambridgeshire. |