The latest episode of Shelf Life introduces viewers to foraminifera, microscopic marine organisms known informally as forams.
Although foraminifera are single-celled creatures, they have tiny shells that come in an amazing array of shapes. These include spheres like the shell of Globigerina bulloides, above, and simple tubes like that of Hemirobulina gradis, below.
Forams are usually tiny, about half a millimeter long, but larger specimens can measure up to 20 centimeters—about the length of a guinea pig. (Yes, you read that correctly—a single-celled organism the length of a guinea pig.)
Though there are more than 10,000 recognized species of forams, these organisms can be broken down into two main groups: benthic forams, which live in deep ocean habitats, and planktonic forams, which live in warmer waters closer to the surface.
Learn more about forams on the Museum blog.
CT Scan Footage: AMNH/Shaun Mahmood