Common Brown Hydra

Hydra vulgaris

Hydrozoa: Hydridae

Indian Springs Creek, Newport Beach, Orange County, CA. 08/10/06. Collected and identified by Richard Campbell

Photos Copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu) Contact for originals

Size 1-5 mm; One of the few Cnidarians that live in freshwater, hydra are found in most streams and lakes.  They cannot tolerate salt water.  They are usually found on the undersides of leaves, sticks and stones resting on the bottom.  There are about a dozen species, with only one reported from Orange County.

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