Copepods: the story of plankton (aka 'Copepods are people, too)
We all need more copepods (koh-pee-pods) in our lives!
Copepods are tiny crustaceans (like crabs, prawns (shrimp) and lobsters) commonly found throughout the world's oceans. There are over 13,000 species of copepod. They are also found in wet environments on land (like under leaf litter). Some marine copepods make up part of the plankton.
Plankton are a group of organisms living in the ocean that have limited ability to propel themselves and, therefore, generally drift around with the current. Marine plankton play very important roles in nutrient cycling, food webs and the marine carbon sink. Long live plankton!
A few illustrations and ideas for how to make copepods (and plankton) more visible in the world. I also fantasize about creating a whole book telling the story of plankton—and featuring copepods, of course!
T-shirt mockups by Vectorium and rawpixel (www.freepik.com).