Pronounced DIE-A-TOMS, these critters are not animals but plants. They are microscopic plants that live in water. They can produce their own food through photosynthesis, just like the plants in our gardens.

They are part of the phytoplankton, that make up the base our ocean's food chain. Here's an example of a food chain:

Plankton means "wanderers" and phyto means "plants." So - phytoplankton are tiny floating plants of the sea.

They live inside tiny glass houses. Their outershell is made from silica (glass) extracted from the water.

For more information about the microscopic world of Elkhorn Slough, check out UNDER THE SCOPE