Hydra were among the duck-pond detritus examined by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) in 1702 but seem to have been little noticed until they became the focus of researches by the Swiss naturalist Abraham Trembley (1710-1784). Trembley saw that what appeared to be a sessile frond-waving plant was actually locomotive and an active hunter. Curious – was this a plant or an animal? Trembley began to keep what he termed ‘polypes’ in freshwater jars and tanks, the better to explore their anatomy and to observe their behaviour
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Hydra meets Handel
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