The island

Even though people can’t see me, I’m an important part of Earth’s biosphere. Scientists
who study ecology know that I was the first life form on Earth. There is more of my kind than
any other plant or animal in the world. Without me, other plants and animals would not even
exist, lama protist, and my tiny body is made up of one single cell.
In my small world, things can be absolutely bizarre. Unlike most aquatic plants and
animals, I don’t need a temperate climate. I have a very high tolerance for extreme
conditions. Right now, I’m swimming around in a bucket of boiling water! The temperature
is 150 degrees Celsius, but I feel comfortable. I have coarse hairs called cilia that help me
swim around in here. I move my cilia in a repetitive motion for the duration of my swim. I
cannot go very fast, though. It takes me about five minutes to swim a distance of just one
millimeter!
When I get hungry, I look for tiny, vulnerable parasites. I swim up to one and swallow it
whole. I digest things much like people do. I have an organ that works just like a human
stomach. After I eat, I release nitrogen gas. Nitrogen is a prominent gas in the earth’s
atmosphere. Other plants and animals need my nitrogen to survive.
My reproductive ability is my most unique trait. I don’t need a companion to mate with.
Instead, I undergo a process called fission, where my own nucleus splits in half. An exact
copy of my nucleus is made, which forms into another protist. It really is an impressive feat.
I can create an infinite number of new protists all by myself!

Waleed Waley