Soil nematode about 1
mm long that lives in
temperate regions. Doesn't really have a common name... except maybe 'tiny
worm' or something
generic like that. A favorite
animal model for
biological research because so much is known about it. In fact, we know an adult
C. elegans has exactly 959
somatic cells, and their full
lineage all the way back to the
zygote. We're pretty close to
sequencing the
critter's entire
genome. Another reason
C. elegans is so easy to study is that it has a transparent body and each of its cells can be examined individually under a
microscope without
dissecting it.
Mutations have been found in
C. elegans that slow down its
metabolic rate and at the same time increase its
lifespan.
You can find out more about
C. elegans than any reasonable person would ever want to know at this site specifically devoted to that one animal: elegans.swmed.edu