Parameciums are one-celled animals. Like amoebas, they are classified in the Protista kingdom and are often called slipper animalcules because of their slipperlike shape. They are normally less than .25mm long, and are covered with tiny hairs call cilia. These hairs help them move and catch food.
When moving through the water, paramecia follow a spiraling path downward. When they bump into an object, they follow will back up and go the opposite direction. Paramecia feed mostly on bacteria, which are driven into their gullet by cilia.
A paramecia have a large nucleus, called the macronucleus, which it needs to survive, and several smaller nuclei called micronuclei, without which it can't reproduce. Inside the macronucleus a nucleolus conducts gene instructions to rest of the cell parts in the cytoplasm.
Paramecia live in freshwater ponds throughout the world; and one species lives in marine waters. They are can be cultivated in the laboratory by allowing grass to sit in water for a few days. The common species Paramecium caudatum is widely used in research.
| Paramecium Parts |
|---|
 |