Vampire Amoeba, Time-lapse Microgrpahy

Vampyrella feeding on algae. Time-lapse light microscopy footage of a Vampyrella lateritia trophozoite (round) moving along and feeding on cells forming a strand of Spirogyra algae (tubular). Vampyrella is a unicellular micro-organism sometimes described as a ’vampire amoeba’. It attacks other microscopic organisms, such as algae, and penetrates their cell walls and extracts the contents (green). This clip shows the process of cell wall penetration, suction and extraction for two algal cells. Vampyrella are found in aquatic freshwater environments, with other vampyrellid species found in soil and in the sea.⁠ ⁠ © Dr Oliver Skibbe/Science Source⁠ ⁠ ID#’s: SS271949 and SS271952⁠ ⁠