Paramecium (Protozoan) Movies

Paramecium Video No. 1 - An up close and personal look at the internal workings of a paramecium; under darkfield illumination at a magnification of 400x with a playing time of 24.9 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 (10.3 MB).

Paramecium Video No. 2 - A group of swimming paramecia, looking more like a bunch of bumper cars as they collide and rebound off of one another; under oblique illumination with a playing time of 24.6 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).

Paramecium Video No. 3 - The ripples of motion seen surrounding this paramecium are from beating cilia that cover the exterior of the organism; under phase contrast illumination at a magnification of 100x with a playing time of 47.7 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 (19.9 MB).

Paramecium Video No. 4 - Two paramecia are joined, probably undergoing conjugation, a process of exchanging nuclear materials; under phase contrast illumination at a magnification of 200x with a playing time of 19.5 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 (8.44 MB).

A well-known visitor to the classroom microscope, this slipper-shaped ciliate is commonly found in freshwater ponds around the world; only one species lives in marine waters. They are easily cultivated in the laboratory by allowing vegetable matter to stand in water for a few days. The common species Paramecium caudatum is widely used in research.