Uploaded June 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A game of survival with no places to hide. How do plankton defend themselves when getting caught means you pay the ultimate price?
Hey, teachers! Here’s a cheat sheet of what’s included in this episode of Microworlds:
- Plankton, zooplankton, phytoplankton
- Predators and prey
- Defensive strategies (protective structures, taste, camouflage, feeding strategies)
- Physical and behavioral adaptations to the environment
- Light underwater in the deep ocean
- Dinoflagellates, diatoms, porcelain crabs, amphipods, tomopteris
We post our plankton finds on iNaturalist, an online community science platform for discovering, sharing, and learning about nature observations. Here are some of the organisms featured in this episode:
- Amphipod (Primno abyssalis): inaturalist.ca/observations/119507761
- Gossamer worm (Tomopteris sp.): inaturalist.ca/observations/119507856
Find more of our plankton records and other biodiversity finds here: inaturalist.ca/people/HakaiInstitute
This episode is part of our series Microworlds, where we shrink down and discover the wonderful lives of the tiny, the miniature, the microworlds.
Produced by Josh Silberg and Meigan Henry
Written by Josh Silberg
Edited by Bennett Whitnell
Videography by Bennett Whitnell and Grant Callegari
Voice-over by Kristina Blanchflower
Microscopy/Scientific team: Alana Closs, Noriko Okamoto, Tyrel Froese, Faye Manning, and Kyle Hall
Additional footage by Tavish Campbell and Storyblocks
A game of survival with no places to hide. How do plankton defend themselves when getting caught means you pay the ultimate price?
Hey, teachers! Here’s a cheat sheet of what’s included in this episode of Microworlds:
- Plankton, zooplankton, phytoplankton
- Predators and prey
- Defensive strategies (protective structures, taste, camouflage, feeding strategies)
- Physical and behavioral adaptations to the environment
- Light underwater in the deep ocean
- Dinoflagellates, diatoms, porcelain crabs, amphipods, tomopteris
We post our plankton finds on iNaturalist, an online community science platform for discovering, sharing, and learning about nature observations. Here are some of the organisms featured in this episode:
- Amphipod (Primno abyssalis): inaturalist.ca/observations/119507761
- Gossamer worm (Tomopteris sp.): inaturalist.ca/observations/119507856
Find more of our plankton records and other biodiversity finds here: inaturalist.ca/people/HakaiInstitute
This episode is part of our series Microworlds, where we shrink down and discover the wonderful lives of the tiny, the miniature, the microworlds.
Produced by Josh Silberg and Meigan Henry
Written by Josh Silberg
Edited by Bennett Whitnell
Videography by Bennett Whitnell and Grant Callegari
Voice-over by Kristina Blanchflower
Microscopy/Scientific team: Alana Closs, Noriko Okamoto, Tyrel Froese, Faye Manning, and Kyle Hall
Additional footage by Tavish Campbell and Storyblocks
