A microscopic unicellular organism which belongs to the Ameobozoa kingdom, ‘amoeba’, was discovered in 1757 by August Johann Rosel von Rosenhof from Germany. Naturalists of earlier times named the amoeba after the Greek god, Proteus who was capable of changing his shape.
Amoeba doesn’t have a fixed body-shape and it appears similar to blobs of jelly-like substance. By constantly changing its shape, the amoeba creates body extensions known as pseudopods – which assist in locomotion. The amoeba can also gather food with the help of these pseudopods.
Here are few interesting facts about the amoeba.
- The Pelomyxa palustris is the largest of all amoebas found in pond water.
- The amoebas are mostly known as pathogens. However, it is interesting to know that most amoebas recovered or obtained by scientists are non-pathogenic.
- The amoeba is known to take the cyst form when it encounters potentially threatening situations. In the cyst form, the amoeba secretes the cyst membrane for protection. Also, it rolls into a ball. Amoeba returns to its original form when the situations becomes favorable.