Meet Naegleria gruberi
In this video, you’ll meet the fascinating amoeba Naegleria gruberi, a close relative of the infamous “brain-eating” Naegleria fowleri. Despite the scary family ties, Gruberi is harmless and beautiful in its own right. 😍
Tiny Yet Mighty
At just 15 microns across (about one-sixth the thickness of a human hair), these tiny blobs are unicellular organisms capable of changing their shape into any form imaginable. They use pseudopods—extensions of their cytoplasm—acting like little feet to move and search for food. 🦶
Asexual Reproduction in Action
Naegleria gruberi reproduces asexually through cellular division, just like how our body cells divide. When an amoeba splits, it creates two daughter cells connected by a tiny tubular tether, almost like an umbilical cord. In this video, you’ll witness this incredible process in action!
The Amoeba “Midwife”
Sometimes, another amoeba—affectionately known as the “midwife”—steps in to sever the tether and help complete the division. But it looks like the midwife here might have left a little too soon! Hopefully, she’ll come back to lend a hand, or should I say, a pseudopod. 😉👐
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Maarten Sarink of Erasmus University for gifting me these beautiful amoebas! He’s doing some fascinating research on them, so be sure to check out his work.
🎶 Music by Cyclumwave aka Barry Pietersen
