A single-celled marine organism with a shell containing small holes through which it extends pseudopodia (false feet) to catch food.
Latin foramen (hole) + -fer (bearing) + -an (one that is). Coined in scientific nomenclature to name this specific group of marine protozoans discovered through early microscopes.
Foraminiferans have existed for over 500 million years and evolved so consistently that paleontologists can date rock layers by identifying which species' shells are present—they're nature's time stamps!
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