Ceratium Dinoflagellate Earrings

These funky horned earrings are inspired by the dinoflagellate genus Ceratium. Dinoflagellates are unicellular eukaryotes that use flagella for locomotion. They live in both freshwater and marine aquatic environments. Ceratium is an especially beautiful genus characterized by two flagella, armored plates and two curving horns. Some species of Ceratium are red to brown in color due to photosynthetic chromatophores in their cytosol, and they, along with other dinoflagellate genera, cause red tides in the ocean when they bloom. These organisms excrete toxins that accumulate in shellfish, making it dangerous to eat shellfish during a bloom. Breathing the spray from the ocean during a bloom can cause respiratory problems in humans.


Earrings do not ship from Shapeways with earring hooks. You will need to purchase and attach them yourself. The earrings are 1.9 cm below the loop and 1.9 cm wide. Each earring weighs approximately 3.15 g.