Bacteria are everywhere, yet how many people have ever seen one? We eat bacteria, they are all over our skin, they help us digest food, some make us sick, and they allow our planet to survive by breaking down all of the organisms that die. They are ‘invisible’ partners and enemies - yet how well do we know them?

Most students have seen great scanning electron photographs of bacteria in a book – excellent for showing the basic rod-like form of many bacteria, but how much do these photographs really tell us about the living world of the bacteria?

In this gallery we present an array of frames of bacteria and cyanobacteria taken from our digital video files. Like any other group of organisms, bacteria exhibit an amazing diversity in form and they even show a variety of behaviours. Our gallery portrays some of the remarkable diversity of the group, but to understand bacteria behaviour, you'll need to view live action video. We'll soon be releasing a "Microlife Sampler" on VHS cassette, DVD, and CD-ROM, so watch this spot for the announcement.

For our popular program that examines the classification and evolution of bacteria as one of the three Domains, see our series, The Domains Of Life. We also have available an excellent overview of bacteria - BRANCHES ON THE TREE OF LIFE - VIRUSES AND BACTERIA .