Amoeboid Movement

Amoeboid movement

Amoeboid movement is the movement of a cell by slowly flowing its contents from one part of the cell to another.

This type of movement is characteristic of single-celled eukaryotic organisms such as amoebas. It is carried out due to the formation at the anterior end of the cell of temporary outgrowths of the cytoplasm, called pseudopodia. Pseudopodia attach to the substrate and pull the entire cell body with them. The pseudopodia then break away from the substrate and form again at the anterior end of the cell, again moving it forward.

Thus, due to the sequential formation and detachment of pseudopodia, the cell slowly crawls in the direction it needs. Amoeboid movement allows the cell to move in search of food and avoid unfavorable conditions. It does not require complex structures and can be carried out in viscous media that are inaccessible to other types of motion.