Plankton

ocean · tiny life · food chain · microscopic

Drifters, not swimmers. Plankton float and drift with water currents instead of swimming where they want to go. They're like little hitchhikers on the ocean or lake, going wherever the water takes them.

Invisibly everywhere. Plankton are so small you usually can't see them with your eyes alone, but they live in oceans, lakes, rivers, and even brackish water where rivers meet the ocean. There are trillions of them in the world's waters.

The food chain base. Plankton are super important because they're food for fish, whales, and tons of other creatures. Tiny plankton feed bigger creatures, which feed even bigger creatures, all the way up.

Two main homes. Marine plankton live in salt water oceans and estuaries, while freshwater plankton live in lakes and rivers. Even though they're different, they both work the same way, drifting with currents.

Plants and animals. Some plankton are tiny plants called phytoplankton that make food from sunlight, and some are animals called zooplankton that eat the plant plankton. Together they form the foundation of water ecosystems.