Observation #3

This observation was made after three weeks from the start of the project. Although I saw many of my old friends, the rotifers, daphnea, and peritrichs, I became fascinated with a new organism. I spent the entire hour tracking and watching this creature. What first caught my eye was a wormlike movement, but what caused the movement was extremely large. Then, I saw more movement close by. It turned out that it was one organism, entertwined within the plant material. This thing was huge! At first glance, it appeared long and worm-like with tiny tufts of cilia along the lower portion of the tubular body. The "head" was rounded and had a hole that it used to suction and engulf other materials. It was possible to make out individual, globular divisions within the overall body of the organism. To move, the organism would contract. Anytime it came in contact with another living creature, it would quickly contract and slowly expand back out. Twice, I witnessed two of these organisms come into contact with one another. One would lead and the other would follow right behind. Once, they rubbed each other and one tried to engulf the other, failed, and "swam" away. I believe, after talking with Dr. McFarland, that it was an Analid in the Aeolosoma group. I was successful in engulfing a cyclops, failed at the attempt to engulf an anchored, whorling rotifer, and succeded in engulfing and digesting a flat worm. The anterior end had a brain, a cilitated pit, dosal blood vessel, esophagus, mouth, nephridium, and pigment globules. I loved observing this fascinating organism and a few pictures are included above.