Saturday 14 April 2012

Hydra dance


Hydras are awesome dancers. They are very flexible and I could never get tired of taking pictures of all bizarre shapes and forms they take.



There are at least two hydras on these pictures, a thinner one which you see above and a bigger one, which was on the first pic.





The one above showing its mouth, although it's sealed and invisible.

The one below caught a tiny water flea and is ready to consume it


They can catch animals of various sizes, even those that are much bigger than the hydras themselves.








Hydras are often covered with ciliates (Kerona pediculus). These tiny guys consume leftovers, while being perfectly protected by their stingy and poisonous big friends. Sometimes they remind me of squirrels on palm trees, and whenever I take pictures for some reason they are always behind the hydra. In the shot above two got in focus.


And the one below bows asking for applause for the dance show:


Now a quiz: how many ciliates did you spot on all the pictures in the post?



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