Another one of those mystery planula larva in my sample last week. I’m convinced it’s a sponge planula, but I can’t be 100%.

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A calanoid copepod under polarised light.

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UK plankton snapshot update!

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youtube.com/shorts/_Ya6s...

These diatom cells are dead, and have been cleaned, so we can see the beauty of the frustule, which is the silica-rich outer wall of the cell. Some of these images are stacks.

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What the heck is this?? It’s beautiful and I need to know! It was in my marine plankton sample this week.

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Pretty polychaete (bristle worm) larva.

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Sample day! #marineplankton 🦑

I had quite a few tardigrades in my samples over the last few weeks - no idea why! This was the only individual from the genus Batillipes. Check out those gorgeous feets, which are adhesive discs! Photo stack.

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There’s been lots of these fellas in my samples recently. Larvae of polychaetes (bristle worms) from the family Capitellidae.

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A hydroid polyp in timelapse. Hydroids are part of the phylum Cnidaria (jellyfish, hydroids, sea anemones, corals).

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A striking red Platyhelminthes (flatworm) from a recent plankton sample.

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I had another scale worm larva in my sample! Such a bizarre creature!

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A big THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased a tee from The Plankton Project @teemillstore ! 100% of the y profit goes towards running the CIC and no where else. These tees are still available (link in bio), but what plankton do you suggest we put of a t-shirt next? Comment below!⬇️ #marineplankton

Can you see the hitchhiker? Unlike me, this little Epicaridea (parasitic isopod) hasn’t paid his travel fare, and is using this copepod as both a means of transport, and lunch! I think he’s rather cute tbh.

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Some very enthusiastic Obelia sp. (Hydrozoa) medusae in this week’s sample. I hardly ever get to see them so active! The medusa is the sexual stage of some cnidarians.

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Such a handsome copepod nauplius! I /think/ this could be a nauplius from the family Siphonostomatoida.

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ystery worm time! This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this worm, and I’m still none the wiser as to what it is. If anyone knows, let me know!

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An absolutely chocker sample this week! Always lovely to see baby sea gooseberries!
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This is great.
Thanks.
Have you got or thought about doing this on YouTube?
I think a lot of folk would watch it.
I would.
😄🔬🦠🧬
#marineplankton
#biology
#science

Lots of tintinnids in my samples at the moment.

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