Giant Sperm, Through the Ages (1 of 4) (IMAGE)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Giant Sperm, Through the Ages (1 of 4)

Caption

Mussel shrimps (Ostracoda) are small, bivalved crustaceans living in marine and freshwater environments. Their calcified carapace is readily fossilized, resulting in a fossil record stretching back almost 500 million years. This green freshwater species, Eucypris virens, prefers temporary pools (left in lateral view, right in ventral view, total body length approximately 1.8 mm). This image relates to an article that appeared in the June 19, 2009, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. Renate Matzke-Karasz of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet and colleagues was titled, "Sexual Intercourse Involving Giant Sperm in Cretaceous Ostracode."

Credit

Image courtesy of Renate Matzke-Karasz

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