The 6 Kingdoms sort

The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is a deep sea (600-1,200 m) dwelling fish. To deal with the intense pressure found at these levels, the blobfish’s tissue is primarily a gelatinous mass that contains no cell wall, which is slightly less dense than water. This allows it to float slightly above the sea floor without spending much energy on swimming. It primarily swallows eatable matter (like crab) that floats in front of it.

The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a lemur native to Madagascar. The aye-aye finds food like a woodpecker; it taps on the bark of trees, gnaws on the tree, and then pulls the grubs out with its fingers. Its cells have no cell wall, which help provide flexibility in the aye-aye’s tissue.

The Azra microphylla is a muticellular autotroph found in Chile. Its inflexible cell walls contain cellulose. It produces an odor similar to white chocolate.

The amoeba is a unicellular eukaryotic organism that moves and eats using its pseudopodia (“false feet”) to surround and engulf other organisms living in its aquatic environment.

The Hydnellum peckii is commonly called Strawberries and Cream, Bleeding Tooth, or Devil’s tooth because of its unique red and white appearance. Its red gel has anticoagulant properties. This heterotrophic organism reproduces with spores and can be found as an individual or in a colony. Its cell walls contain chitin.

The paramecium is a unicellular organism that moves in an aquatic environment with cilia. It is a eukaryote that feeds on micro-organisms like bacteria and yeast.

Tremella foliacea is commonly called leafy brain or jelly leaf. This multicellular organism is a parasite to fungi. It is said to be edible, but it is not much desired. Even though its cell walls contain chitin, you won’t see it on your pizza (unless you turn into a zombie).

Euglena is a unicellular organism that can undergo photosynthesis or surround and consume an organism by phagocytosis. It does not have a cell wall; instead this eukaryotic organism is surrounded by a protein layer supported with microtubules, which makes it very flexible and motile.

Halobacteria are prokaryotic extremophiles found in water nearly saturated with salt like the Dead Sea. The cell walls of halobacteria do not contain peptoglycan. However, the pigment found in them can turn the water they are found in pink.

E. coli is a prokaryotic organism typically found in the lower intestine of various animals. Some strains can cause food poisoning in humans. Its cell walls contain peptoglycan.

Ferroplasma is a prokaryotic organism that obtains its food through a chemical reaction involving iron and oxygen. It produces sulfuric acid as a result, which means that ferroplasma are acidophiles. They are most often found in the runoff produced from heavy mining that involves pyrite. Its cell walls do not contain peptoglycan.

Streptococcus is a prokaryotic organism that reproduces by dividing along many axes and create grape like clusters of cells. Strains of this organism are responsible for diseases like strep throat, meningitis, and bacterial pneumonia. The cell walls of this organism contain peptoglycan.

The leafy sea dragon (Phycodurus eques) is a multicellular organism that camouflages itself to appear like floating sea weed. The fins that propel it are too small to be seen by the naked eye. The leafy sea dragon feeds on small creatures such as plankton off the coast of Australia.

Diatoms are microscopic unicellular organisms that are found in aquatic environments. They are photosynthetic autotrophs. They create a shell made of silica. When these eukaryotes die, their shells are used as a key ingredient in toothpaste because they help remove plaque buildup from teeth.

Yeast is a unicellular eukaryotic organism that is used commercially to make bread, beer, and cheese. Although some types of yeast can be helpful, candidiasis is a skin infection caused by yeast. The cell walls of yeast contain chitin and it reproduces asexually through budding. Yeast’s obtain their nutrition through absorbing nutrients around them.

Salmonella Typhi is another type of salmonella; this strain is responsible for typhoid fever. This prokaryote releases toxins that affect the stomach and intestinal area, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, high fever and bloody stools. Typhoid fever is very dangerous, and can be fatal for those who do not seek medical treatment after symptoms begin to appear.

Penicillum are eukaryotic heterotrophic organisms that cause the “fuzzy” blue mold on breads. They can also be used to make penicillin, which is an antibiotic. Interestingly, penicillum reproduce asexually by spore dispersal.

Bifidobacterium are prokaryotes that help maintain homeostasis in a person. They are often added to probiotic yogurts and found in breast milk. These organisms are heterotrophs whose cell walls contain peptidoglycan.

Methanococcales are prokaryotes that live in extremely hot and oxygen deprived waters at the base of a sea chimney in the deep ocean. Methanogens are extremely important in environments that are anaerobic (lacking oxygen). They work by taking carbon dioxide and hydrogen and converting it to methane gas and water.

Sulfolobus acidocaldarius is a prokaryotic organism that grows in volcanic hot springs where they have a high sulfur concentration and a low pH (very acidic) environment. This organism is of interest to researchers because of its ability to function at a wide range of temperatures. It was first discovered in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, and later found in Italy and El Salvador.

Kelp is a type of marine algae that photosynthesizes in the ocean. It has gas filled pockets that help it stay close to the surface of the ocean. This multicellular eukaryotic organism is notable because it does not contain cellulose in its cell walls or roots that anchor it to the ocean floor. Kelp can grow up to 150 feet tall. A large quantity of kelp is referred to as a “kelp forest” by many people—especially those who harvest kelp to sell as a food source.

Streptococcus pyogenes is an organism that can cause necrotizing faciitis. In other words, it is a flesh-eating bacterium. This rare disease is usually only contracted by people with compromised immune systems. Sources include: undercooked contaminated meat, working at a waste water treatment plant, hospital settings, and raw produce from farms fertilized with human sewage.

Although the Sundew is a multicellular photosynthetic organism, it compensates for the poor soil nutrients by trapping and digesting insects. This eukaryotic organism reproduces sexually with the assistance of pollinators such as bees.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Deinococcus radiodurans is the toughest bacterium on Earth. It can survive cold, dehydration, vacuum, acid, and extreme levels of radiation. Four cells normally stick together, forming a tetrad. The bacteria are easily cultured and do not appear to cause disease. Colonies are pink to red in color.