Hydra trying and failing to eat a water flea

Video shows a microscopic predator-prey interaction in real time. A Hydra sp. tries but fails to eat a water flea (cladoceran). The hydra positions itself to strike, attempting to surround the organism with its tentacles, which are covered in stinging cells. The water flea manages to escape. Dark-field light microscopy.
September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Julia Van Etten, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ