They are always moving. They move the daphnia through the water in short, quick, leaps. If you could magnify it enough, you could see that it moves backward like a person rowing a boat. Some daphnia are advanced enough to burrow in the mud on the bottom of puddles and ponds. Daphnia eat by using feather like feet to kick food in their mouth.
Daphnia eat small aquatic plants.
They also may eat pond life like newly hatched rotifers. Size Not all daphnia are the same size. The largest species is Daphnia magna. It can grow up to four millimeters long. The smallest type is daphnia pulex, usually too small for the human eye to see.