Thiomargarita - Definition and Overview

Thiomargarita namibiensis is the largest bacterium ever discovered, with a diameter of around 0.3 mm, making it easily visible to the naked eye. It was found by Heide N. Shulz and others in 1999, on the continental shelf off of Namibia. There are no other species in the genus.

External links

• Dense populations of a giant sulfur bacterium in Namibian shelf sediments (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10205058)
• BBC News: A Whale of a bug (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/320117.stm)