• Question: How small are plankton and how big can they get?

    Asked by 228brna46 to Lydia, Eoin on 17 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Lydia Bach

      Lydia Bach answered on 17 Nov 2014:

      Hey!

      Plankton can be teeny tiny, but also really big. That’s because of what plankton is: its actually anything that more or less drifts in the water column rather than moving on its own, so includes many animal groups.

      For example, plankton can be extremely tiny, like viruses that we need a strong microscope to see. They can be tiny fish larvae of a size of millimetre.
      On the other hand, plankton can be gigantic, which they call megaplankton.
      Jellyfish are megaplankton, which can reach sizes of meters.

      Check out this one:

      http://www.asianoffbeat.com/post/Japan-Prepares-for-Annual-Giant-Jellyfish-Invasion-news-2047

Comments