Скачать или смотреть Found this cute little springtail in a sample of moss I collected to try and find tardigrades!

Found this cute little springtail in a sample of moss I collected to try and find tardigrades!

As their name suggests springtails have a springing device under their abdomen called a furcula which allows they the jump in less than 18 milliseconds when threatened. This made it quite hard to get the little critter positioned but after a lot of bouncing around i got things situated 😅
They are one of the most common macroscopic animals with estimates of over 100,000 per square meter of ground. They are also detritivores and thus play an important role in helping with the breakdown of soil.

Taken with my iPhone 14 pro on a Swift 380B microscope using an @ilabcam ultra adapter

#macroscopic #microscope #springtail #arthropod #science #biology #nature #fuzzy #adorable #abundant #upclose