Bacteria are tiny living things that can only be seen with a
microscope. Around one million bacteria can fit on a pin head! They
live everywhere from in the soil to deep underwater.
We've designed our own bacteria! His name is Roger. Roger the
bacteria is rod-shaped. Bacteria are normally round, rod-shaped or
spiral-shaped.
Roger the rod-shaped
bacteria
See that black squiggle in the middle? That's Roger's DNA.
Unlike our DNA, a bacteria's DNA isn't tucked up neatly in the
middle of the cell.
Roger also has smaller circles of DNA called
plasmids. This DNA isn't essential for Roger to
survive, but it can be useful. Sometimes bacteria have plasmids
that contain DNA which makes them resistant to antibiotics.
It looks like Roger has a tail. This is called a
flagella and it helps him to move. Other bacteria
look like they have little hairs, called fimbriae.
Fimbriae help the bacteria to stick to surfaces.
Rod-shaped bacteria with
flagella and fimbriae
We gave Roger a moustache and eyes - bacteria don't have these,
but we thought Roger looked better with them!
Design your own bacteria
We've attached two pictures of bacteria to the end of this
article - a rod-shaped bacteria and a spiral bacteria. Download and
print a picture and colour it in! Be as creative as you like - will
your bacteria have a beard? How about sunglasses or a handbag?
Share your pictures with us and we'll put them online! Email a
photo or scan of your picture to planetscience@tinopolis.com.
This activity was inspired by Manisha Lalloo at Science London.