zooplankton

noun

zoo·​plank·​ton ˌzō-ə-ˈplaŋ(k)-tən How to pronounce zooplankton (audio)
-ˌtän
plural zooplankton also zooplanktons
: freely floating or weakly swimming typically minute aquatic protozoans and animals (such as copepods, rotifers, and arrow worms) or the eggs or larvae of aquatic animals (such as anemones, mollusks, and fish) : plankton composed of animals
… numerous varieties of adult gamefish depend on zooplankton for a substantial portion of their diets throughout their lives.Byron W. Dalrymple
Phytoplankton exhale life-giving oxygen and are consumed as food by zooplankton and small fish, which, in turn, are eaten by larger fish.Kenneth R. Weiss
Right whales eat zooplankton, which are tiny creatures that float along in the water column, by straining huge amounts of sea water through their baleen.Wendall Waters
compare phytoplankton
zooplanktonic adjective
zooplanktonic organisms

Examples of zooplankton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In a 2009 experiment in the southwest Atlantic Ocean by German and Indian scientists, larger zooplankton ate the smaller phytoplankton—and little carbon actually reached the deep sea. Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 12 Sep. 2024 Rockfish larvae feed on zooplankton known as copepods. Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 16 July 2024 North Pacific right whales are baleen whales, which feed by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their comb-like baleen plates that trap copepods and other zooplankton. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 27 May 2024 Or little creatures known as zooplankton gobble up those phytoplankton and poop out pellets of carbon that also sink. Matt Simon, WIRED, 18 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for zooplankton 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'zooplankton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

zoo- + plankton

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of zooplankton was in 1897

Dictionary Entries Near zooplankton

Cite this Entry

“Zooplankton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zooplankton. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

zooplankton

noun
zoo·​plank·​ton ˌzō-ə-ˈplaŋ(k)-tən How to pronounce zooplankton (audio)
-ˌtän
: plankton that is composed of animals

More from Merriam-Webster on zooplankton

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