Rotifers on Cyclops tail - they are only one hundredth of a millimetre long! The larger blobs are Cyclops eggs.

Rotifers
Group:Rotifera
Size: less than 1mm

These tiny creatures hitch a ride on other animals such as Cyclops. They were called wheel animacules because early simple microscopes made them appear to have a spinning wheel in their mouths! We now know that this is a circle of tiny hairs or cilia which beat in rhythm sweeping food into their mouths.

Food chain
Position in food chain:
Secondary consumer (herbivore)
They eat: algae
They are eaten by filter feeders (e.g. Swan Mussels)

Life cycle
The female rotifer carries the eggs. During periods away from the water the adults can encyst (hibernate in a protective bag).

Canterbury Environmental Education Centre