Hi Foldscopers!

Copepod sighting from Kitakyushu, Japan! I would like to share a video of  my friend Blair and I seeing a copepod for the first time on March 25th, 2018 with a Foldscope.

I scooped some pond water with a paper cup (reused from picnic lunch) from a lily pond where a few koi fish were swimming around. I chose a spot where water was very still. The cup scooped up the pond water with lots of algae, detritus, and tiny swimmers.

With a dropper and a petri dish, Blair caught a tiny dot that seemed interesting to observe. So she transferred the dot onto a glass slide with a very very little droplet of water. And I covered the droplet with a piece of tape, using it as a coverslip.

Here is what we saw…

Our questions captured in the video:

1. What do copepods eat?
2. Why does it have a red dot?
3. Do copepods have eyespots?

Answers found in:

1. http://www.imas.utas.edu.au/zooplankton/image-key/copepoda
2. & 3. Manu’s narration in WAHEEDA ‘s post http://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=23027

Note to self for next time:

• Use the PVC well on the slide so that I don’t squish the poor creature
  • CARRIEB ‘s post http://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=15983
  • LAKSIYER ‘s post http://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=16915

Keep exploring and share your discoveries with your friends 🙂

Honomi