Creatures!
FRESHWATER CREATURES
Here are some common freshwater creatures that you might find in your local pond, moss or lichen samples. These were all found in Ontario, Canada, but many of them are common around the world.
I’ll keep adding more and more as I find them!
(Keep in mind that I may have made a mistake when identifying the creatures below, so please contact me if you notice an error!)
Note: I’ve decided not to include the magnification, simply because most of these were captured with additional zoom from my phone camera. But, in general, all of these were captured with a 10X objective with a 10X eyepiece (100x). The phone zoom can add an additional 1x to 7x!
Daphnia
Ostracoda
Also called a “seed shrimp”.
Rotifer (Synchaeta)
Rotifers are also often called “wheel animals”.
Mite
You can usually find mites in moss!
Nematode
Also called “roundworms”; I’ve found them in soil.
Rotifer (Bdelloid)
Believe it or not, all bdelloids are female!
Rotifer (Bdelloid)
Another view of the Bdelloid rotifer.
Rotifer (Bdelloid)
It’s easy to mistake the Bdelloid for a worm when they’re moving around. They move more like a caterpillar, actually!
Stentor
Stentors are sometimes also called “trumpet animalcules”.
Copepod
Most often called “cyclops”! These are VERY common in freshwater ponds.
Copepod larva
The copepod’s life cycle includes a larval stage. This larva is called “nauplii”.
Copepod larva
Here’s a younger copepod larva.
Copepod
Copepods carry their eggs around until they hatch!
Diatom
Diatoms are little creatures made of silica (glass). Not sure what species this is, but you’ll find them in pond water samples.
Tardigrade (Ramazzottius)
One of the toughest of the tardigrade species!
Tardigrade (Milnesium)
Milnesium have also been found in Antarctica!
Ciliate (Colpoda)
Ciliates are tiny creatures that have cilia (small hair-like organelles).
Synura
It’s a type of algae, found in freshwater.