Rotifer, pronounced ROH tuh fuhr, is a type of tiny multicellular animal that lives in water. The largest rotifers are about 1/26 inch (1 millimeter) long. Rotifers have cylinder- or vase-shaped bodies. Most species live in lakes, rivers, or streams. Some live in the ocean.
The name rotifer means wheel bearer and refers to the circles of hairlike projections called cilia on the animal's head. The cilia create a circular water current that draws food to the rotifer. This water current also enables most species of rotifers to "swim." Other species spend their entire lives attached to such objects as stones and leaves.
In many rotifer populations, the male has no role in reproduction. The female produces young by herself. This kind of reproduction, called parthenogenesis, produces only female offspring.
Scientific classification. Rotifers make up the phylum Rotifera.
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