Euplotes (Protozoan) Movies

Euplotes Video No. 1 - An individual euplotes, its cirri and tactile cilia waving, along with other microorganisms; under phase contrast illumination at a magnification of 200x with a playing time of 19.4 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 (8.12 MB).

Euplotes Video No. 2 - A close-up view of a euplotes shows the band of cirri that it uses for locomotion; under phase contrast illumination at a magnification of 400x with a playing time of 18.5 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 (2.0 MB).

This genus is characterized by rows of fused cilia called cirri running along the ventral (bottom) surface. A freshwater inhabitant, Euplotes uses its cirri for swimming and also to "walk" along a substrate. Euplotes belongs to the class Nassophorea 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.