amoeba
Sign in to saveAlso known as amoeboid
right|thumb|upright=1.5|Clockwise from top right: Amoeba proteus, Actinophrys sol, [[Acanthamoeba sp., Nuclearia thermophila., Euglypha acanthophora, neutrophil ingesting bacteria.]]
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- Wilson1900Fig3.jpg
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Article
18 sectionsContents
- Biology
- Pseudopods and movement
- Nutrition
- Size range
- Sexual reproduction
- Ecology
- Pathogenic amoebae
- History of knowledge and classification
- Conceptual origins
- Traditional classification
- Transitional period
- Current classification
- Amoeboid cells in other organisms
- Amoeboid cell types in multicellular organisms
- Amoeboid dispersal stages
- References
- Further reading
- External links
right|thumb|upright=1.5|Clockwise from top right: Amoeba proteus, Actinophrys sol, [[Acanthamoeba sp., Nuclearia thermophila., Euglypha acanthophora, neutrophil ingesting bacteria.]]
An amoeba or ameba (: amoebas or amebas (less commonly, amoebae or amebae )), often called an amoeboid, is a type of cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and retracting pseudopods. Amoebae do not form a single taxonomic group; instead, they are found in every major lineage of eukaryotic organisms. Amoeboid cells occur not only among the protozoa, but also in fungi, algae, and animals.