Crustacean and its Egg

Sep 26, 2016 • 11:48 PM UTC

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Microorganisms

Mitali

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Hello everyone,

The compound eyes. Hope you’re all having fun with your foldscopes and observing amazing stuff. A few days ago, in the water I collected from a sea shore puddle,I found algae which had colonies of vorticella growing on it. Sadly, all of it has degraded now and what is left is a few molluscs and some of these creatures which are crustaceans . I decided to observe them as their movements were fascinating, they moved quite fast and weren’t easy to catch which is why I wanted to see them alive.Normal slides would’ve crushed them, so,I’ve used a cavity slide this time. I Couldn’t take very clear pictures because it kept moving but managed to get videos which you all may like.
I could see its beautiful feet and the tail which it swayed as it moved across the watchglass. But then something absolutely gorgeous came to my sight. It was an egg in the gut of the organism (it probably held it in its pleopods). Because,from what I’ve read crustacean eggs are externally fertilized and are not laid soon after mating.

It kept swaying its feet which kept the egg tumbling and rolling in the field. I was really worried that it may end up harming it.

But then I managed to move it away from its pleopods and focus just on the egg.Here, I could see the movements inside the egg.

I have saved this egg in a watch glass. Super exited to trace its development.
~Have fun Foldscoping. 🙂
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