Bursaria (Protozoan) Movies

Bursaria Video No. 1 - A bursaria propels itself through pondwater; under oblique illumination with a playing time of 27.8 seconds. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 28.8k (modem), 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL, or download this video clip in MPEG format (11.6 MB).

Bursaria Video No. 2 - A close-up view of a bursaria and its tiny beating cilia, barely noticeable, covering the surface of the organism; under phase contrast illumination at a magnification of 200x with a playing time of 29.4 seconds. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 28.8k (modem), 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL, or download this video clip in MPEG format (12.3 MB).

Bursaria Video No. 3 - The rhythmic beating of its surface cilia is just noticeable as this bursaria slowly glides through the water; under oblique illumination with a playing time of 24.5 seconds. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 28.8k (modem), 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL, or download this video clip in MPEG format (10.2 MB).

Bursaria organisms are large enough to be barely visible, and are characterized by a distinctive "big mouth" or cytostome, which they use to scoop up protozoan prey. Once it has entered the cavity, the prey organism is surrounded and enclosed by a digestive vacuole.