Observing vinegar eels swimming under a microscope, scientists discovered that they move in a complex synchronized manner.
Anton Peshkov, a physicist at the University of Rochester in New York, along with his colleagues, observed thousands of vinegar eels (Turbatrix aceti) swimming in a drop of water under a microscope to gain a better understanding of their movement, Live Science reported on February 5. The research findings were published in the journal Soft Matter.
Vinegar eels are tiny creatures, measuring about 1 mm in length, belonging to the phylum Nematoda. With over 25,000 species described scientifically to date, nematodes are among the most prolific organisms on the planet. Many of these species are parasites. Others, such as Turbatrix aceti, feed on microscopic organisms in a variety of environments on Earth, including vinegar jars. This gives them their name, vinegar eels.
Peshkov’s research team was interested in vinegar eels not because of their habitat but rather their movement. Like many species of birds and fish, they move in synchronized groups.
Thousands of vinegar eels swimming in a drop of water under a microscope.
After swimming randomly in the drop of water for nearly an hour, some vinegar eels began to gather at the center, while others swam to the edges, moving around the perimeter like cars circling a roundabout. Soon, each eel began to undulate its body, and those nearby also waved in a synchronized manner. Then, the entire group oscillated, moving in unison to a rhythm that only they could perceive.
Peshkov was astonished by the complexity and synchronization of their movement. “This is a combination of two different types of synchronization: motion and oscillation,” he stated.
The study also revealed another surprising result. When the entire group swam simultaneously, they pushed against the edge of the water drop, temporarily preventing the drop from contracting as it slowly evaporated. When the team measured the force exerted by the vinegar eels, they found that they could move objects weighing hundreds of times their own weight.
