Protists With Shells

Foraminifera are simple organisms which, when alive, protrude pseudopodia through tiny pores in a rigid calcareous test or shell. This shell can be a single chamber or can be composed of multiple chambers. Most are marine, and can be either bottom-dwelling or floating plankton.

The accumulations of their dead shells become part of the sediment column on the bottom of the ocean. Under the microscope these shells are intricate and beautiful. They tell the story of the conditions under which they lived. They are not easy to locate in our area – but turn up as micro-fossils in sediment on the sea floor.

The shells are particularly beautiful and intricate. Each species can be identified from particular features produced in this structure. Mainly marine, both benthic (bottom dwelling) and planktonic (floating in the water column). They are little known to amateur micro-naturalists. Once they are discovered, they create a fascination which is hard to shake.

Some images of foraminifera shells