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The Invisible Zoo

These animals live here. Come and meet them.

A single cell, shaped like a long-stemmed trumpet, is anchored at its narrow end and fans open at the wide end into a rim of beating cilia that pulls water — and whatever is in it — down into the cell. The whole body is blue-green. It sways slowly on its stalk, exploring the water around it, and every so often snaps shut, contracting to a fraction of its length in a fraction of a second, then unfurls again and resumes feeding.
Stentor
The Blue Trumpet
A green sphere rolls slowly through the frame, turning about its own axis as it travels, driven by thousands of tiny whips beating in coordination across its surface. It is hollow and translucent, and inside it float several smaller spheres — its daughters, already complete, growing until the parent breaks open and releases them.
Volvox
The Rolling Sphere
A network of bright yellow veins spreads across a dark surface, filmed in timelapse so that hours pass in seconds. The leading edge advances as a broad fan, feeling outward in every direction at once; behind it the fan resolves into a branching web of tubes. Material visibly pulses back and forth inside the thicker veins. Routes that lead nowhere thin out and disappear; routes that lead somewhere thicken.
Physarum
The Many-Headed Slime
Spirostomum
Identification pending. This footage is not shown until someone competent has confirmed it is the organism the file claims to be.
Spirostomum
The Fastest Retreat
Tardigrades
Identification pending. This footage is not shown until someone competent has confirmed it is the organism the file claims to be.
Tardigrades
The Water Bears
Heliozoa
Identification pending. This footage is not shown until someone competent has confirmed it is the organism the file claims to be.
Heliozoa
The Sun Animalcules
Vorticella
Identification pending. This footage is not shown until someone competent has confirmed it is the organism the file claims to be.
Vorticella
The Bell on a Spring
Paramecium
Identification pending. This footage is not shown until someone competent has confirmed it is the organism the file claims to be.
Paramecium
The Everyman