Daphnia magna is a small crustacean that is related to crabs, shrimp and lobsters. They live in many aquatic environments and are very important to the food chain. Daphnia are plankton that feed on algae and other microbes and are themselves food for small fish and other aquatic animals. They are popular as fish food and studied in biology labs that look at evolution or ecology.

While there are both male and female daphnia that can mate and reproduce, females can actually clone themselves through a process called parthenogenesis.

The anatomy of the Dapnia is labeled in certain shots.

The magnification of each shot is shown in the bottom right corner.