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Specimen
051
Rotifers are microscopic animals that measure up to 2mm in length, though few exceed 0.5mm, and are recognisable by their single, double or sometimes multiple crown-like corona of cilia which appear to rotate, and which is how they derive their name, i.e. from Rota, Latin for wheel. The coronal cilia create a current that sweeps food into the mouth. They are found in freshwater lakes and ponds (where they are particularly abundant), in puddles, in brackish water and, to a lesser extent, in salt water and can be free swimming or sessile, that is attached by the foot to plant stems, debris, etc. They are also found in damp soil, in damp moss, and in fact in any place where there is even only a little water. The bodies of many species of rotifers are transparent and in their living state you can see their internal organs. Most rotifers are females. Males are few and not able to feed, living not more than a few days. . |