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Story: Plankton

A swarm of zooplankton

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A swarm of zooplankton

This swarm of small animals was photographed in waters near the Poor Knights Islands, in northern New Zealand. Most of these are salps, transparent barrel-shaped creatures that are closely related to sea squirts. Salps reproduce rapidly when there is plenty of phytoplankton to eat.

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NIWA – National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research

by Malcolm Francis

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Plankton – Plant plankton, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/5133/a-swarm-of-zooplankton (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 2 March 2009.