Elizabeth Beston
@elizabethbeston.bsky.social
Marine plankton, home educator, biology undergrad, autistic, non binary. Norfolk UK. Runs The Plankton Project
linktr.ee/elizabethbeston
linktr.ee/elizabethbeston
This cnidarian (probably a sea anemone) planula larva has perhaps bitten off more than it can chew! Normally ovoid, this larva has taken on the shape of its lunch, a copepod! If you look closely, you can see the eye of the eaten crustacean!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
November 29, 2025 at 5:27 PM
This cnidarian (probably a sea anemone) planula larva has perhaps bitten off more than it can chew! Normally ovoid, this larva has taken on the shape of its lunch, a copepod! If you look closely, you can see the eye of the eaten crustacean!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
Does anyone I know live near Peterborough?
November 29, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Does anyone I know live near Peterborough?
An adorable Platyhelminthes! I see that the classification has changed, so this is now subphylum Rhabditophora? Anyhoo, a real cutie!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
November 28, 2025 at 8:25 PM
An adorable Platyhelminthes! I see that the classification has changed, so this is now subphylum Rhabditophora? Anyhoo, a real cutie!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
Also, piglet. Sound on for cute grunts.
November 28, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Also, piglet. Sound on for cute grunts.
I sang a carol in the chapel at Wimpole Hall today. As you do.
November 28, 2025 at 6:45 PM
I sang a carol in the chapel at Wimpole Hall today. As you do.
A female Harpacticoida copepod (possibly Euterpina acutifrons?) under 3 different lighting conditions.
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
November 27, 2025 at 10:26 PM
A female Harpacticoida copepod (possibly Euterpina acutifrons?) under 3 different lighting conditions.
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
Reposted by Elizabeth Beston
Explore marine biodiversity data with @dassh-at-the-mba.bsky.social Mapper, an interactive map that lets you search, view and download species and biotope records by survey, species name, location, biotope type and more.
Visit: www.dassh.ac.uk/dasshmapper to start exploring UK marine life data.
Visit: www.dassh.ac.uk/dasshmapper to start exploring UK marine life data.
November 27, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Explore marine biodiversity data with @dassh-at-the-mba.bsky.social Mapper, an interactive map that lets you search, view and download species and biotope records by survey, species name, location, biotope type and more.
Visit: www.dassh.ac.uk/dasshmapper to start exploring UK marine life data.
Visit: www.dassh.ac.uk/dasshmapper to start exploring UK marine life data.
Anyone good with marine flagellates? I thought this was quite a distinctive-looking chap with a reasonable chance of an ID? Any ideas?
#marineplankton #protistsonsky 🦑
#marineplankton #protistsonsky 🦑
November 27, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Anyone good with marine flagellates? I thought this was quite a distinctive-looking chap with a reasonable chance of an ID? Any ideas?
#marineplankton #protistsonsky 🦑
#marineplankton #protistsonsky 🦑
I had my full asd assessment report through today. It’s hard to read things about yourself that confirm the things you wish you weren’t, because they’re not socially ‘right’. I’ve hated the parts of me that I saw as ‘broken’ (and a moral failing on my part to not fix them) 1/2
November 26, 2025 at 11:31 PM
I had my full asd assessment report through today. It’s hard to read things about yourself that confirm the things you wish you weren’t, because they’re not socially ‘right’. I’ve hated the parts of me that I saw as ‘broken’ (and a moral failing on my part to not fix them) 1/2
A few recent diatoms.
Paralia sulcata
Actinoptychus splendens and Actinoptychus vulgaris
Amphitetras antediluviana
Coscinodiscus radiatus
Not sure - can anyone help with this one? Synedra? Fragilaria?
Paralia sulcata
Actinoptychus splendens and Actinoptychus vulgaris
Amphitetras antediluviana
Coscinodiscus radiatus
Not sure - can anyone help with this one? Synedra? Fragilaria?
November 26, 2025 at 8:55 PM
A few recent diatoms.
Paralia sulcata
Actinoptychus splendens and Actinoptychus vulgaris
Amphitetras antediluviana
Coscinodiscus radiatus
Not sure - can anyone help with this one? Synedra? Fragilaria?
Paralia sulcata
Actinoptychus splendens and Actinoptychus vulgaris
Amphitetras antediluviana
Coscinodiscus radiatus
Not sure - can anyone help with this one? Synedra? Fragilaria?
A dinoflagellate, Prorocentrum micans.
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
November 26, 2025 at 8:39 AM
A dinoflagellate, Prorocentrum micans.
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
Another colourful copepod nauplius!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
November 25, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Another colourful copepod nauplius!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
3 different flavours of Polychaeta (bristle worms) in one friendship group! The biggest is from the family Spionidae, the orange one was featured is yesterday’s post, from the family Serpulidae, and the littlest is a mystery to me!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
November 25, 2025 at 1:18 PM
3 different flavours of Polychaeta (bristle worms) in one friendship group! The biggest is from the family Spionidae, the orange one was featured is yesterday’s post, from the family Serpulidae, and the littlest is a mystery to me!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
Help me wise world of BlueSky! I need a way to communicate with a small group of people (narrating a live plankton sample) in a very busy and noisy room. How could I do that cheaply? It would be extra neat if they could talk to me too.
November 24, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Help me wise world of BlueSky! I need a way to communicate with a small group of people (narrating a live plankton sample) in a very busy and noisy room. How could I do that cheaply? It would be extra neat if they could talk to me too.
Why oh why weren’t the roads gritted last night?? North Walsham to Cromer road slippy this morning. One car in a ditch. Be careful out there! @bbcradionorfolk.bsky.social #nndc #norfolk #northnorfolk
November 24, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Why oh why weren’t the roads gritted last night?? North Walsham to Cromer road slippy this morning. One car in a ditch. Be careful out there! @bbcradionorfolk.bsky.social #nndc #norfolk #northnorfolk
These little orange goobers always cheer me up! The larva of a Serpulidae polychaete (bristle worm).
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
November 24, 2025 at 7:19 AM
These little orange goobers always cheer me up! The larva of a Serpulidae polychaete (bristle worm).
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
This is unbelievably exciting for me! I’ve sampled at dusk before, but this is the first time I’ve found krill (Euphausiacea)!!! I’ve identified this individual as Nyctiphanes couchii, which is a coastal species common in the southern North Sea.
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
November 23, 2025 at 9:49 AM
This is unbelievably exciting for me! I’ve sampled at dusk before, but this is the first time I’ve found krill (Euphausiacea)!!! I’ve identified this individual as Nyctiphanes couchii, which is a coastal species common in the southern North Sea.
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
I love the variety of copepod nauplii I see. One day, I’ll get around to IDing them!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
November 22, 2025 at 10:32 AM
I love the variety of copepod nauplii I see. One day, I’ll get around to IDing them!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
Can you believe I’ve never seen Space Balls until today?! My favourite bit….
a statue of a lizard wearing a hat and holding a cane is dancing .
Alt: A alien baby from Alien is wearing a hat and holding a cane and dancing .
media.tenor.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Can you believe I’ve never seen Space Balls until today?! My favourite bit….
I usually see these bizarre looking copepods from the order Monstrilloida in the height of summer, so I was surprised to see one in my sample this week, when the sea surface temperature was around 10.5 C.
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
November 21, 2025 at 4:28 PM
I usually see these bizarre looking copepods from the order Monstrilloida in the height of summer, so I was surprised to see one in my sample this week, when the sea surface temperature was around 10.5 C.
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
I think Gallifrey missed me. #catsonsky
November 21, 2025 at 10:40 AM
I think Gallifrey missed me. #catsonsky
I won a thing! I’m so honoured to have won the NBN newcomers award at the @nbntrust.bsky.social
conference today, for the work I’m doing around plankton sampling and data collection. #marineplankton 🦑
conference today, for the work I’m doing around plankton sampling and data collection. #marineplankton 🦑
November 20, 2025 at 7:46 PM
I won a thing! I’m so honoured to have won the NBN newcomers award at the @nbntrust.bsky.social
conference today, for the work I’m doing around plankton sampling and data collection. #marineplankton 🦑
conference today, for the work I’m doing around plankton sampling and data collection. #marineplankton 🦑
Forgot my toothpaste - apologies in advance if anyone chatting to me at the @nbntrust.bsky.social conference today! 🙈
November 20, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Forgot my toothpaste - apologies in advance if anyone chatting to me at the @nbntrust.bsky.social conference today! 🙈