- Cornell University - Protozoa and Microsporidia
- Onview.net Ltd - Protozoan
- BC Parks - Protozoan
- History of The Universe - Protozoa
- How Stuff Works - Science - Protozoan
- Midwest Institute for Biological Control - Protozoa
- Royal Society of Chemistry - Protozoan
- Monroe County Women’s Disability Network - Protozoa
- Zipcode Zoo - Protozoa
- The Pennsylvania State University - Protozoan Diseases
Britannica Web Sites
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- protozoan - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Protozoans are simple organisms, or living things. They belong to a group of organisms called protists, which are neither plants nor animals. Most protozoans are so tiny that they can be seen only with a microscope. Amoebas and paramecia are types of protozoan.
- protozoan - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Protozoans are typically microscopic, single-celled organisms. Unlike bacteria and archaea, they are eukaryotic. This means that they have a distinct nucleus. Also, unlike single-celled algae, protozoans cannot make their own food, so they eat other organisms. For this reason, protozoans were once considered animals. The term protozoan comes from the Greek words protos, meaning "first," and zoion, meaning "animal." Protozoans make up a variety of groups of organisms within the kingdom Protista, though these groups do not necessarily share a common evolutionary history.