Small animals
Rotifers
Rotifera (wheel animals)
Tiny animals with a crown of cilia that looks like spinning wheels. Inside, a jaw (mastax) pumps non-stop.
What to look for
- A crown of cilia (corona) at the front, often looking like two rotating wheels.
- A muscular jaw apparatus (mastax) chewing inside, visible as a pulsing structure.
- A foot with toes at the rear; bdelloids creep like leeches, other kinds swim or live attached in a tube.
Size in the field
Often about the size of a large ciliate: a tenth of the field at 100×.
Where to find it
Everywhere: moss, gutters, ponds, the edges of puddles.
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