Small animals
Copepods
Copepoda (Cyclops and relatives)
Fast little crustaceans with a teardrop body and long antennae that dart in sudden jumps.
What to look for
- Body widest at the front and tapering to a forked tail.
- Long first antennae; a single median eye.
- Females often carry one or two egg sacs at the rear (Cyclops has two). Larvae (nauplii) are tiny, roundish, with three pairs of limbs.
Size in the field
Visible to the naked eye as darting specks.
Where to find it
Almost every pond and lake.
Clips 0
No clip of this group is on the site yet. The description above is enough to check your own observation.