Unique life form is half plant, half animal

 Mesodinium chamaeleon

Habitat: seawater around Scandinavia and North America, chowing down on a new generation of slaves. Many animals transform themselves almost beyond recognition in the course of their lives. Caterpillars become butterflies and tadpoles become frogs, and if we couldn't watch them do so we might not even suspect that the two stages were the same creature. Spectacular as these shifts are, they are only shape-shifting. A tadpole and a frog are both animals, so both must take in food from their surroundings. Not so Mesodinium chamaeleon.
This newly discovered single-celled organism is a unique mixture of animal and plant.
via New Scientist / continue reading