Cercomonas clavideferens is a protozoa, a single celled
organism, about 20 microns (thousandths of a millimetre) long,
only visible under a powerful microscope. Cercomonas
clavideferens is abundant in soils and freshwater sediments, but
has not been found alive in the sea. There are probably millions
of these organisms in every kilogram of soil. Cercomonas
clavideferens is a voracious predator of bacteria, but probably
eats a much wider range of organisms. Some Cercomonas species
are known to gang up on and kill nematode worms, many times
their size. Cercomonas clavideferens has two flagella, one
pointing in the direction of movement and one trailing behind
the cell. These can be seen as thin projections extending away
from the cell in the photographs above. The flagella are about
twice as long as the cell and are used for locomotion, feeding,
and probably sensing the cell’s immediate environment. Find out
more about the taxonomic ranks to which Cercomonas clavideferens
belongs. Discover the types of habitat