Paramecium

Paramaecium (paramecium), a ciliated unicellular organism popular in biology classes. It has a firm outer pellicle and a slight twist. It is coated... more

by Russell Kightley

Title

Paramecium

Artist

Russell Kightley

Medium

Digital Art

Description

Paramaecium (paramecium), a ciliated unicellular organism popular in biology classes. It has a firm outer pellicle and a slight twist. It is coated in cilia (little hair like projections) that drive food into its mouth and propel the animal along. The picture includes four images of Paramecium from different viewpoints. Paramecium has a rather complex shape with a slight helical twist and a ventral "mouth". It is a single cell and is covered in a firm pellicle from which many cilia project. The cilia act like tiny oars and propel the paramecium along and drive food into its "mouth". The food (mainly bacteria) progresses along the gullet (bluish, slightly "S" shaped feature) where it collects at the end in a newly forming food vacuole. This eventually buds off from the gullet. Food vacuoles circulate around the interior of the paramecium and finally dock with a fixed hole and the rear ventral surface where the undigested material is ejected. Paramecium has characteristic stellate contractile vacuoles fixed dorsally at front and rear which remove excess water.

PARAMECIUM - classification (taxonomy) from ITIS
all protist images / PROTISTA / PROTOCTISTA / PROTOZOA PICTURES: / Protozoan/ Phylum / Paramecium (paramaecium), a Ciliate

Uploaded

August 8th, 2012