Science Question #1

Here's the deal; I have always really enjoyed science. I am fascinated by animals, rocks, astronomical events, physics, mechanics, mathematics, whatever. There are probably hundreds of books in our house that cover topics from evolution after the ice ages to mathematical theory to electronic engineering.

And the funny thing is, I have a brain that accepts none of it. I always did horribly in science classes in school, and even now I probably only capture 25% of what I read. It isn't frustrating because I enjoy the challenge; mostly, it is just kinda sad.

That said, I have recently made the attempt to combine my photography skills into a scientific hobby by purchasing a microscope adapter for my camera. Using a 40+ year-old microscope that was discarded from a high school (no, I didn't steal it), I have captured the following shots of some weird creatures I found living in a puddle in our backyard.

Now my question is: what is this thing?

They are very tiny, squiggly worm-like creatures that manically swim in no matter how little water they are surrounded by. The pictures, which admittedly aren't very great but enjoyable as a first attempt using the adapter, are 100x so the actual creature is only about 1/8 inch long. It appears that they like water, mud, dark places, and grime. I think the resemblance to the Eraserhead baby is a coincidence. After some research, I'm leaning towards thinking they are a type of Arthropod, but I really just don't know enough to be sure that is true.