Daphnia by Chipka
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Description
Though commonly called “water fleas,” Daphnia (if you’re going to call them by their correct name,) are planktonic crustaceans. Much like their distant, distant, cousins, woodlice, their common name is inordinately misleading. It must be a crustacean thing. Woodlice are not lice. Water fleas are not fleas.
I’d posted an image of twitching water fleas at home in a Mason jar, now kept in my room; I was inordinately happy to find them, and I’m inordinately happy that I still have them, and that they are breeding rather prodigiously; it’s a part of that whole asexual reproduction thing. They simply bud by way of parthenogenesis. They will reproduce sexually, in a pinch, as—like brine shrimp—their eggs are able to survive for extended periods of time in adverse, dry conditions. The particular colony at home beside my alarm clock is enjoying a stable, nicely warm, watery environment, occasionally enriched by dead mosquitoes and the occasional smashed black fly. I suspect in a year or two, they’ll need a fish tank: they’re eating well, after all, and they’re having quite a large number of near-microscopic babies. I think that in the future, a small (5 gallon?) fish tank will be a nice investment.
I took this photo shortly after scoring the exceptionally busy “under the microscope” macro shot I’d posted a bit earlier in my gallery. In the previous shot, the water fleas in question were largely juveniles, with a single adult revealing hirself as a blur. In this shot, an accidentally-cooperative adult posed rather nicely, and on full zoom, you can see the thread-like cilia used for swimming. I’m particularly proud of this shot, not necessarily because of any artistic prowess, but simply because it has a crustacean in it. Life is good when you can share it with intriguing crustaceans that stay still for at least three seconds.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all on the verge of a fantastic week.
Comments (26)
wotan
Very cool!
jocko500
this is cool
jac204
Great capture.
NefariousDrO
Very cool shot. I'm impressed at how well you can do macros, they're always fascinating when you do them.
Sepiasiren
niiiice!
evielouise
good luck to you although kind of creepy for me because I can't stand bugs:
mbz2662
Very Other-Worldly. Cool shot :)
treasureprints
You are enjoying your little critters, and that's nice.:) I used to think slugs were asexual, too, until I caught them breeding, quite beautifully, hanging from the side of the house one night. Don't think I've posted that one here. Maybe in the future.:)
MagikUnicorn
S T U N N I N G !! (Thanks for the information)
RodS
Fascinating capture and information, Chip!
KatesFriend
Goodness me they look so alien. They are so alien when you consider what we are. As I've said before, one wonders about whether they are truly from our world. The diversity and all out weirdness of our biosphere never fails to amaze me. This photo is exceptional, I can't imagine pull of a capture such as this.
bobrgallegos
Very cool image!
auntietk
My dear friend ... You know I love you, but this is just strange! LOL! Truly an event only a carcinologist could love.
durleybeachbum
Only you, Chip! As pets go, they are particularly un-cuddly for many reasons, but oh, how fascinating! I will take a pic, and email it to you, of a useful little gadget for getting such tiny models into a position where they can't back out of shot.
kgb224
Stunning capture my friend. God Bless.
fallen21
Fantastic picture.
MrsRatbag
LOL, I can just imagine when you were a child ... "Please mom, can I keep it? It followed me home!" I love your fascination with the less-cuddly creatures of the world!
flavia49
fabulous image
Orinoor
I can safely say I know no other person who has such a fascination with these sorts of creatures (and I count a biologist among my close friends). I am glad that you share them with us, it is delightful that you are so delighted!
Lashia
A beautiful up close shot of your Small Wonders upload! I love the way that everything flows together in this, so naturally with awesome colours and beautiful lines. Amazing shot here, I love the textures that make this picture look like a painting- thanks for sharing! :-)
Selina Photography™
Jay-el-Jay
There are worlds within worlds.This is remarkable.
beachzz
ok, i tried, but fleas??? now i'm all itchy!!! lol
sandra46
EXCELLENT IMAGE! WELL DONE!
danapommet
This is so cool Chip and wonderful narrative and information. Dana
helanker
WOW ! This is rather exciting and I easily understand your fascination of these little creatures. As younger I loved to look at moms old flowerwater in a microscope, because there was always things flowing in it and I was fascinated by the short time it took, before life began it this water, mom had in her flower vase. You really captured this little fellow beautifully and i finr the rest of the shot interesting too, because it is like seeing it with the dapniers eyes.
icerian
Wow, interestig scenery, dear Chip.