Amoeba proteus, alternatively
Chaos diffluens, is an
amoeba closely related to the
giant amoebae and a species commonly bought at science supply stores. This small
protozoan uses
tentacular protuberances called
pseudopodia to move and
phagocytose smaller
unicellular organisms, which are enveloped inside the cell's
cytoplasm in a food
vacuole, where they are slowly broken down by enzymes. Amoeba proteus is very well known for its extending pseudopodia. It occupies freshwater environments and feeds on other protozoans, algae, rotifers, and even other smaller amoebae. Due to
phytochromes,
A. proteus may appear in a variety of colors (often yellow, green and purple) under a microscope.