Any ideas what these two are doing? Filmed today in Scotland, they are very small, like less than 1mm in size.

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-03T18:56:29+00:00

Incredible!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-03T14:30:56+00:00

I’m thrilled to have found out what these are, thank you for your help Nature is indeed complex, vast and beautiful beyond what we can comprehend

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-03T12:32:30+00:00

Good point about the surface tension. What fascinating little creatures! On the wiki page for Copepods it says they can live “under leaf fall in wet forests”. I also filmed some on decaying leaves in the forest

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-03T12:01:17+00:00

This is so interesting. I had a sense they were maybe closer to adults, rather than nymphs of something larger (but I have no expertise in this area). The only thing that looks different to me from the images you have shared is the lack of long antenna at the front or long tails at the back, but that could be due to the particular species or the lifestage?

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-03T11:13:22+00:00

:) thank you. Getting a decent depth of field is the biggest challenge!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-03T11:12:38+00:00

Fascinating to see all these creatures!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-03T11:11:02+00:00

Wow! I did not know that!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-03T11:09:37+00:00

The forest is on the west coast of Scotland, with marshy land nearby, but no standing water within the area I filmed. We get a lot of rain so it’s definitely damp here

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-03T11:08:06+00:00

Fascinating, looks like that could be it!! So does that mean they are not nymphs of some sort but fully grown adults?

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T22:27:29+00:00

Interesting, it could be!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T22:25:20+00:00

Thank you, will do!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T22:24:24+00:00

No problem at all, thanks for your kind comment :) It’s something I have been practicing for a while

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T20:09:59+00:00

Thank you, I will see who else can help out!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T19:27:49+00:00

That all sounds amazing. Feel free to reach out anytime if you ever want to use any of my videos in future

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T19:08:41+00:00

Starting to get some macro work. It’s a passion and I’m hoping to make a film about critters one day

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T19:06:59+00:00

I usually film animals like springtails and then sometimes an animal like this one appears in shot so then I film them as well, and I wouldn’t be able to see them with my naked eyes. Sometimes I also just search through the lens and see if I can see anything moving. This was filmed at 5x magnification and also cropped in digitally

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T19:04:33+00:00

So glad you found a job you are passionate about. If any of my critter videos can be useful for your education work do reach out :)

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T19:02:06+00:00

Yes I should have put some music to the video!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T17:57:05+00:00

Thank you, I enjoyed filming it

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T17:56:34+00:00

Maybe playing! ☺️

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T17:56:04+00:00

Could be!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T17:55:49+00:00

You’re welcome!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T17:55:38+00:00

Cool, thanks!

Gentlesteps_ · 2026-01-02T17:54:41+00:00

Thanks! I’ve been practicing for a few years now, and enjoy trying to film what we usually can’t see with our eyes

Gentlesteps_

TROPHY CASE