Early embryonic development (metaphase in mitosis) over time, from upper left to lower right with tubulin (microtubules) labeled, showing the elongation of the mitotic spindle prior to the first cell division. Courtesy of Ahna Skop, Skop Lab.
Caenorhabditis elegans (Caeno, recent; rhabditis, rod; elegans, nice), is a free-living, non-parasitic soil nematode that can be safely used in the laboratory and is common around the world. (Blumenthal, T., Meyer, B.J., Riddle, D.L., Priess, J.F. (Ed.). (1997). C. elegans II. New York, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. p. 1)