These seem to have come straight out of a sci-fi movie. These are some alien-looking animals that photographer Daniel Stoupin captured through microscope observation.

These creatures are so weird to us that we would never expect that such tiny animals would look this different. Some even look like meteors in outer space. For more of Daniel’s amazing work, you may visit his portfolio at Behance, and there you may even check a video of these little guys in motion. I hope you enjoy these. Cheers! 😉

A water flea with offspring

A ceriodaphnia with internal parts visible.

Alien-looking water flea

Cyclops, a freshwater copepod visible in polarized light. Size of the crustacean is about 0.5 mm.

Cyclops

The eye of a water flea (Polyphemus pediculus).

Another water flea, the body is surrounded with shell.

Head of a mosquito larva (Culex sp.) in polarized light. The bright white bands in the head are muscles that move the mouth parts.

Another alien-looking water flea

Baby water fleas

A whole mosquito larva (Culex sp.) visible in polarized light. The size of the insect is about 1 cm.

Water flea with a brood pouch