A Virtual Pond Dip

Note: If visiting this page directly, it is designed to be used with the virtual dip in the jar of pond water.

Paramecium (single-celled)       Further details: Paramecium

Name (genus) : Paramecium Size : 60 - 300 µm Where to find them : Plankton and amongst organic matter. Notes : One of the larger singe-celled pond animals. Many protozoa are very small, but the larger Paramecium can just be seen as a speck swimming in pond water. A compound microscope at 40X - 100X should show more detail if you can catch one with an eye dropper and place it on a slide. The older text books called them 'slipper animalcules' as with careful study under a microscope they do look like a slipper. The Paramecium is often used as one of the classic examples of a protozoan and are widely illustrated in biology textbooks. Classification : Kingdom Protoctista, Phylum Ciliophora Return to the Pond Dip