Protists
Today we are learning about protists. Protists are single or multicelled microrganisms. Some may seem animal or plant-like or even fungi-like by the way they eat. Scientists have classified them in four different groups based on how they move. Protozoa are the animal-like protists. They have to hunt for food like animals do.
Ciliates are the first we will learn about. They have tiny hairs called cilias all around them which help them move around. The cilias also help the protists catch small bacteria which they eat. They are the most complex protozoa because they have two nuclei, the macronucleus and the micronucleus. The macronucleus controls the daily commands. The micronucleus controls reproduction for the ciliate.
Flagelettes use whip like tails to move around. They can also used their tales as a lasso to capture creatures just like a cowboy.
Ameboids use a "false foot" to move. They basically change shape to move and engulf their prey.
Sporozoa are parasitic protists. With no way of moving on their own they inhabit larger living creatures and make them sick. Many diseases are sporozoa such as Malaria, which kills many people every year and are transferred by mosquito and African sleeping sickness.
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| It's scary that it looks like they have faces. |
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