Invisible Oceans Founder's Collection: Invisible oceans #35: Plankton I

A good, and very mixed, and typical, plankton haul sample. Every haul is different and one can never guess what will be in them. It is that that makes studying this subject so interesting and revealing. This sample contains a relatively large alima larva centre left with several hydromedusae jellyfish, worm larvae, echinoderm larvae, the larval stage of a burrowing anemone, and several single-celled acanthometran stars. A typical plankton haul will only remain active for some minutes, possibly up to an hour or so, unless it is enfused with fresh seawater, so filming live plankton has to be done promptly, and just as soon as possible after returning to shore. Our hauls were nearly all done at sundown, when many species vertically migrate up close to the surface as the sun goes down.

Lizard Island, Australia (2008)

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