A typical species is Volvox globator . Very large colonies can exceed 1 mm in diameter and are easily visible to the naked eye. Many will be found to contain daughter cells, and sometimes even grand-daughter cells in various stages of development, within the hollow interior of the globe. One of his videos captures the enigmatic and graceful movement of Volvox , and he has kindly allowed us to show some extracts from his film on this page. A single Volvox colony spins through the dark waters of a pond.
Daughter cells are just visible inside.
Micscape Editor's note. This page just checked your browser and found that not all images are being shown. A Rotifer has discovered the Volvox colony here on the left. It has penetrated through the mucilage into the hollow interior and is now eating the colony cells - one by one. See how part of the sphere is already missing.