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Radiolarians are unicellular predatory protists encased in elaborate globular shells usually made of silica and pierced with holes. Their name comes from the Latin for "radius". They catch prey by extending parts of their body through the holes. As with the silica frustules of diatoms, radiolarian shells can sink to the ocean floor when radiolarians die and become preserved as part of the ocean sediment. These remains, as microfossils, provide valuable information about past oceanic conditions.
Like diatoms, radiolarians come in many shapes
Also like diatoms, radiolarian shells are usually made of silicate
However acantharian radiolarians have shells made from strontium sulfate crystals
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