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Micro World

How small is a Rhizopus spore?

A Rhizopus spore is about 10 µm across.

What is measured: bread mold sporangiospore, diameter

Rhizopus Spore (10 µm) drawn to scale beside a red blood cell (7.5 µm) and a cloud droplet (20 µm)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Red blood cell (7.5 µm), Rhizopus Spore (10 µm) and Cloud droplet (20 µm).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • A little wider than a red blood cell
  • About 2 would fit across a cloud droplet
  • About 6 would fit across a human hair
  • About 5× the length of an E. coli bacterium

Learn

Facts about Rhizopus Spore

Rhizopus spores spread easily through air currents, quickly colonizing bread and other starchy foods.

Source: ASM: Fungal spore morphology; Mycology textbooks

Micro World

NameSizeCompared with Rhizopus Spore
Human T Lymphocyte7 µm0.7×
Human B Lymphocyte7 µm0.7×
Cryptococcus neoformans8 µm0.8×
Human Melanocyte8 µm0.8×
Human Natural Killer Cell10 µmsame size
Human Pancreatic Beta Cell10 µmsame size
Rhizopus Spore10 µmthis page
Human Basophil12 µm1.2×
Human Dendritic Cell15 µm1.5×
Trichomonas vaginalis15 µm1.5×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Rhizopus Spore or Human Basophil?

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