Online 25th of January 2021: 16.613 forams (
1682 genera)
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January 2021: Sahul Shelf and Timor Sea
By courtesy of the Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research we are adding illustrations from Loeblich, A. R., Tappan, H. N., 1994: Foraminifera of the Sahul Shelf and Timor Sea. Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research, Special Publication 31. 661 pp. So far 630 of about 2300 specimens are integrated.
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What are Foraminifera
Foraminifera, or forams for short, are single-celled organisms that live in the open
ocean, along the coasts and in estuaries. They consist of cytoplasma, which is stabilized and protected by an inner shell called test. Either they float in the water column (
planktonics) or live on the sea floor (
benthics). Of the approximately 6,000 species living today, only about 50 species are planktonic. It is estimated that there are about 80.000 species, which went extinct.
Where do Foraminifera live ?
Foraminifera are abundant all over the oceans. A few species live in
freshwater environments. Forams live in the deep sea, open waters, near shore and even in areas only partly covered by sea water. Each niche has a specific mixture of species, called fauna. Explore the foraminifera in todays oceans via the
zoomable map of our finds or the
database-query choosing an ocean, area and/or locality.
The Foraminifera.eu Database (FEUDAT)
FEUDAT contains to date 16.500+ datasets each with an image and 30
+ attached data. The data allow to search for foraminifera on a wide range of criteria, which are on taxonomy, morphology, geography, geological time, collection, fauna and more. The result is presented as a plate with up to 500 images. FEUDAT is freely accessible. Contributors may find their collection of foraminifera better accessible than ever.
... to the database
How to contribute
We work strictly non commercial, money can"t be contributed.
Raw material and
picked specimens allow us to work on interesting stuff und explore new topics. With
Images we may enlarge the
coverage of the database. Comments and proposals often lead to improvements. Invitation to talks, field work and workshops allows us to get in touch with interested people.
Provided publications preferably as PDF help us to improve our skills.
Contact us