Why is Euglena so difficult to classify as either a plant or an animal?
Euglena shows both sets of traits.
Euglena shows both sets of traits. Like a plant, it has chloroplasts and can photosynthesise in sunlight; like an animal, it has no cell wall, moves using a whip-like flagellum, and can take in food from outside when light is scarce. Because it mixes plant- and animal-like features in a single eukaryotic cell, it's placed in Protista rather than forced into either kingdom.
Key point
Euglena has both plant (chloroplast) and animal (motility, no wall) traits, so it belongs to Protista.
Common mistake
insisting every organism must be strictly a plant or an animal.
Memory tip
mixed traits in a single eukaryotic cell → Kingdom Protista.
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