Natural History, Most Abundant

Sarcodina is the largest phylum of protozoans, consisting of 11,500 living species and
33,000 fossil species. They include amoebas, foraminifera, radiolarians, and heliozoans.
Most sarcodines are free living, others are parasitic. They first started to appear in the late
Precambrian, becoming important during the Mesozoic, and are most abundant today.

Classification

Domain Eukaryota
Kingdom Animalia
Grade Protozoa
Phylum Sarcomastigophora
Subphylum Sarcodina

Amoebas

Some amoebas, such as testate amoebas, are able to be fossilized. Fossilized amoebas
date back to the Proterozoic, around 742-770 million years ago. Amoebas are a single cell
that looks like nothing more than cytoplasm held together by a flexible cell wall, with its
cell organs in the cytoplasm. But amoebas possess a kind of inner structure that defines
their range of forms. The different looks of amoebas are a result of their pseudopodia
(false feet). Some amoebas have many pseudopods, others have only one, while some
have long extensions that resemble spines.

Foramininfera

Foraminifera are single-celled organisms that construct shells. They inhabit marine
environments from the intertidal zone to the deep sea in all regions. The two major group
of foraminifera are benthic, which live in sediments on the sea floor, and planktic, which
live in the upper 300 feet or so of the ocean. The fossil record of benthic foraminifera
dates to more than 550 million years ago. Planktic species range to about 190 million
years.
Radiolarians

Radiolarians live in the ocean. Their skeletons can either be spherically symmetrical, or
bilaterally symmetrical. They have spines extending from their body. Radiolarians fossils
usually date back to the Cambrian, but some have been found dating back to the late
Precambrian. They have a good fossil record because their silicon skeletons preserve
well. Their silicone-based skeletons litter the sea floor and make up a lot of the substrate.

Heliozoa

Heliozoans are spherical and predominantly freshwater and are found either floating or
stalked, and they are frequently enveloped by a shell. They are often called sun-
animalcules. The name comes from the radiating pseudopodia that surround it, which
give it a sun-like appearance. The pseudopodia of heliozoans are generally used to
capture prey but can also be utilized for moving.