Story: Plankton

Radiolarian fossils

Radiolarian fossils

Radiolaria are single-celled predatory organisms encased in a silica shell. They capture their food by extending parts of their body through holes in the silica frame, and trapping passing prey. Like diatoms, their skeleton is preserved in ocean sediments. These 60-million-year-old radiolaria were extracted from a deep-sea core from the Campbell Plateau, just south of New Zealand.

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GNS Science
Reference: D100003
Photograph by Chris Hollis

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How to cite this page:

Maggy Wassilieff, 'Plankton - Animal plankton', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/5138/radiolarian-fossils (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 12 Jun 2006