Sing with me now – “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a Phaeocystis globosa.” OK, it may not be a melodic as “a partridge in a pear tree,” but it may be more interesting. Dr. Richard Kirby, a Royal Society Research Fellow at Plymouth University has come up with the “12 Plankton of Christmas.” To see more of Dr. Kirby’s work check out his book, Ocean Drifters: A Secret World Beneath the Waves.
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- Three Wise Men: The zoea larva of the spider crab Maja squinado, the angular crab Goneplax rhomboides, and the thumbnail crab Thia scutellata
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- Bells: The jellyfish Aglantha digitale
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- A Star: A baby Luidia ciliaris starfish
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- Angels: Sea angels, Clione limacina
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- Snowflakes: Baby brittle stars
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- Santa’s Hat: The larva of a sea anemone
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- A Christmas Lantern: The doliolid Doliolum nationalis
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- Five Gold Rings: Spiral chains of the diatom Eucampia zodiacus
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- A Christmas Tree: The paddle worm Tomopteris helgolandica
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- A Candle: The larva of the starfish Luidia ciliaris
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- Baubles: Colonies of the phytoplankton Phaeocystis globosa
Thanks to Julian Stockwin for tweeting about the 12 Plankton of Christmas.
Hello Rick!
Do you know?
I like science. But I just love science when science is intertwined with the divine ART. Congratulations on this post and Happy New Year for you and your dear readers!
Fernando Costa, from Cabo Frio, Brazil, Very Hot South Atlantic Ocean.