Euglena << yoo GLEE nuh >> is a microscopic, single-celled water organism. It lives in fresh water. Euglena is especially common in warm seasons, when euglenas may form a green scum on the surfaces of small ponds or drainage ditches.
Euglenas have spindle-shaped bodies, and range in size from 1/1000 to 1/100 of an inch (0.025 to 0.254 millimeter) long. Most species (kinds) are green because they contain chlorophyll, the green coloring material found in most types of plants. These species get energy from sunlight. Some species also eat tiny particles of living matter. Euglenas use a flagellum (a whiplike appendage) that sticks out from the body, to move.
Euglenas are often used in classrooms for study and in laboratory research because they are easy to find, grow, and keep. They reproduce rapidly and can be studied under an ordinary microscope.
