High drama on the slide
Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2024 1:46 am
Examining a pond water slide with my AO 160 using the 43x objective, I observed this fellow:
Soon, however, he stopped cold. Why, I wondered? I pulled back to the 10x to see if any extraneous factors were at work. But no: he was alone in the field of view.
I kept my eye on him. As time passed, a clear space developed within him. It grew as I watched, and his tidy egg shape gradually distended, until...
What happened to this poor fellow? Was his race just run? Or was the weight of it all (and by that I mean the cover slip) just too much?
Also, anyone have any idea what he was? I'm a neophyte to microbe identification. Also, please forgive the poor quality pictures, all were taken afocally through the eyepiece, freehand.
He was large and rather ponderous compared the the nimble ciliates that buzzed around him as he executed casual three-point turns. Graceful, nonetheless. His insides sparkled with green jewel-like objects. Chloroplasts, presumably. Yesterday's lunch?Soon, however, he stopped cold. Why, I wondered? I pulled back to the 10x to see if any extraneous factors were at work. But no: he was alone in the field of view.
I kept my eye on him. As time passed, a clear space developed within him. It grew as I watched, and his tidy egg shape gradually distended, until...
What happened to this poor fellow? Was his race just run? Or was the weight of it all (and by that I mean the cover slip) just too much?
Also, anyone have any idea what he was? I'm a neophyte to microbe identification. Also, please forgive the poor quality pictures, all were taken afocally through the eyepiece, freehand.