Small animals
Water fleas
Cladocera (Daphnia, Simocephalus, Chydorus, Bosmina)
Small crustaceans in a clear shell, hopping through the water by beating their large branched antennae.
What to look for
- A body enclosed in a transparent carapace; head with a single dark compound eye.
- Big branched second antennae used for swimming in jerks.
- Through the shell you see the heart beating, the gut, and in females eggs or embryos in a brood pouch.
Size in the field
Large: visible to the naked eye; at 40× a Daphnia can fill the field.
Where to find it
Ponds, garden water butts, open water of lakes.
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