“…and today we are talking about something extraordinary, but it might be just a fluke. But more on that later.”
Description
Galactosomum spinetum is a type of fluke, and like many flukes,
It has a flattened, oval shape. The metacercaria stage is spherical.
It is translucent, and slightly elongated organism. The adult fluke, which resides in the intestines of aquatic birds, would be more elongated and have a more complex structure with suckers for attachment.
Measure Up
Welcome to the beloved Measure Up segment. The official listener’s favorite part of the show! The part of the show when we present the animal’s size and dimension in relatable terms through a quiz that’s fun for the whole family. It’s also the part of the show that’s introduced by you when you send in audio of yourself saying, singing, or chittering the words Measure Up into ldtaxonomy at gmail dot com. We don’t have a new Measure Up intro!
Length
The larval stage is 2.7 to 4.9 mm
The fluke is the same length as…
- 1/1119 of a humpback whale fluke.
- 1/4th the length of a proper Italian penne noodle?
- 450 grains of finely ground flour
Fact: A humpback whale fluke can be 18 feet wide.
Genus size
28
The Galactosomum genus has the same number of members as…
- A 3rd the amount of organs in the human body
- A 154th of a box of Cheerios
- A 14th the amount of bullets a gatling gun could fire in a second.
Fact: There are 2,772 cheerios in a box.
Fast Facts
Movement: Galactosomum spinetum relies on ciliary gliding to move around. Ciliary gliding is a type of locomotion used by certain small, soft-bodied invertebrates. The animal moves on a layer of mucus that it secretes, propelled by the coordinated beating of tiny hair-like structures called cilia.
Life Cycle:
- Egg Stage: The life cycle begins when eggs are released into the water.
- Miracidium Stage: The eggs hatch into free-swimming larvae called miracidia.
- Sporocyst and Redia Stages: The miracidia develop into sporocysts and then into rediae, which produce cercariae.
- Cercaria Stage: The cercariae encyst as metacercariae.
- Metacercaria Stage: The metacercariae mature into adult flukes, and lay eggs.