Day 20: I strongly doubt I will ever be able to identify more than a handful of protozoans (if that!), but I did determine that the one in the bottom photo was making its way across my field of view powered by its flagellum ("tail"). That's the feature which determines the level of organization under which this type of one-celled critter fals: Flagellates. That's not to say all flagellates are related to one another. It is simply a means of categorizing them by their means of motion. Ciliates are another such organizational level, propelled by hundreds of tiny "hairs" (cilia) on the exterior of their cell walls. I seem to have a nice population of them growing in a rooting jar in my kitchen window. Why the difference? Maybe they like the warmer indoor temperature. I'm not likely to get very technical when it comes to describing these microscopic critters, but I hope you will enjoy seeing my discoveries from time to time.
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