This is something I haven't seen before. The ditch this sample was taken from was on the verge of freezing. After 24 hours in a warm house, this encysted ciliate seems to have decided it was spring.
It's interesting to see how the cyst wall softens. Presumably, the creature emits a chemical trigger of some sort.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kon-aP2DSyg
I believe it to be a Stylonychia of some kind. The caudal cirri are not very prominent in this footage, but I caught sight of them after turning off the camera.
A Spirotrich ciliate "hatching" from its cyst
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