Coleps (Protozoan) Movies

Coleps Video No. 1 - A coleps discovers a dead, partially eaten microorganism and gorges itself; under darkfield illumination at a magnification of 400x with a playing time of 44 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 (18.6 MB).

Coleps Video No. 2 - A coleps swims in its characteristic spiral across the microscope field, its surface covered by rhythmically beating cilia; under DIC illumination with a playing time of 14.3 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 (5.95 MB).

This barrel-shaped ciliate is covered by a layer of protective, calcareous plates and is commonly found in freshwater. Coleps is a rapid swimmer, revolving as it travels. They prey on the soft parts of organisms and use this motion to bore out chunks of the organism they are feeding upon. Coleps belongs to the class Prostomatea in the phylum Ciliophora; the ciliates, of which there are approximately 8,000 species, are generally considered to be the most evolved and complex of the protozoans.