Hydra Viridis (Green Hydra) is eating a waterflea

ralfwagner · Post by **ralfwagner** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:27 am

Hello,

I want to show here a video of a hydra catching and eating up some waterfleas.

http://youtu.be/MpSPdeTN74I

I was very astonished to watch the waterflea passing crosswise through the hydra's mouth and that the red eye of of waterflea could still be seen whilst the critter was already within the hydra.

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:31 am

Excellent video, and the hydra was having good hunting that day!

--Rik

Olympusman · Post by **Olympusman** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 12:33 pm

Very interesting. I was observing a brown hydra the other day and as I was watching, it stunned two ciliates but didn't eat them right away, as if it was saving them up for later. Both ciliates seemed to be tethered to the tentacle that stung them.

Clado · Post by **Clado** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:12 pm

Hello Ralph,

A very nice video.
However the hydra is not eating a waterflee but I think a copepod.

Regards

Clado

albertr · Post by **albertr** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 5:11 pm

Fascinating video!

-albertr

Clado · Post by **Clado** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:46 am

[quote="Clado"]Hello Ralph,

A very nice video.
However the hydra is not eating a waterflea but I think a copepod.
I think, most of the time the waterfleas want the flee from the water under those circumstances.

Regards

Clado[/quote]

ralfwagner · Post by **ralfwagner** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:24 pm

Hello,

and thanks for your kind comments.

@ Olympusman: Perhaps they eat only waterfleas, I don't know.
@ Clado: Of course we are seeing Copepodes here. I have choosen the word waterflea because I thought it was more commonly known. But either Copepodes nor Daphnia etc. are not real fleas at all.....

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 3:23 am

Very nice video!

Rogelio