Paramecium protozoan. Light micrograph of a Paramecium sp. ciliate protozoan. This single- celled organism is covered in numerous cilia (microscopic h

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Paramecium protozoan. Light micrograph of a Paramecium sp. ciliate protozoan. This single- celled organism is covered in numerous cilia (microscopic hairs) that it uses for locomotion and to waft food particles into its mouth. Paramecium sp. protozoa inhabit fresh water, and feed mainly on bacteria and smaller protozoa. When some Paramecium sp. feed on photosynthetic cells (green spheres) instead of digesting them they incorporate them into their own cell and use them to produce energy from sunlight. The process of incorporating other cells is called endosymbiosis. Paramecium cells vary in length between 35 microns and 150 microns.

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Size: 5271px × 3480px
Photo credit: © BIOPHOTO ASSOCIATES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, aquatic, biological, biology, cilia, ciliate, endosymbiosis, fauna, freshwater, invertebrate, invertebrates, light, micrograph, microscope, motile, paramecium, photosynthesis, photosynthetic, protozoa, protozoan, single, sp., wildlife, zoological, zoology