Key facts
- A new species of ciliate, Euplotes gigatrox, has been discovered.
- The organism was collected from a seawater filtration system in Curaçao.
- Euplotes gigatrox can transform into a cannibalistic 'supergiant' to survive.
- This transformation occurs when food resources are limited.
Scientists have identified a new species of single-celled organism, Euplotes gigatrox, collected from a seawater filtration system on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. This ciliate possesses a remarkable survival mechanism: when faced with a scarcity of food, it can transform into a significantly larger, cannibalistic form, referred to as a 'supergiant.' This discovery challenges existing understandings of life at the microscopic level and highlights the complex adaptations that can arise in simple organisms.