through extension and retraction of “false feet” or pseudopods
Amoeba proteus is known for the way they move, a primitive crawling manner – through extension and retraction of “false feet” (or pseudopods) over varied substrates. Amoeba proteus does not have a fixed shape – it constantly changes because it extends its pseudopods.
A pseudopod is a temporary arm-like projection that is developed in the direction of movement.
When the Amoeba stretches its pseudopods, the cytoskeletons (like the cells’ skeleton system) inside the cell rearrange and extrude the cell membrane to change the cell shape. Once the tips of pseudopods adhere to the substrate, the cytoplasm of the cell flow to fill the space so the whole cell moves forward.
Under the microscope, you can see the components (including nucleus and vacuoles) inside the Amoeba flow smoothly like in a gel as it moves. This form of movement by extension of cytoplasm is called “amoeboid movement”.

[In this figure] Amoeboid movement: an amoeba moves by stretching its pseudopods.
Under the plasma membrane of the pseudopods, there are organized cytoskeletons that generate the force to drive the change of the cell’s shape.
Extended read:

Facts about Amoeba
This article covers
- What is Amoeba?
- Is Amoeba a cell?
- What is inside Amoebas’ “false feet” or “pseudopods”?
- How does Amoeba proteus eat?
- What is Amoeba proteus’ favorite food?
- Tell me more about the secrets of Amoeba proteus!
- How big is the Amoeba proteus ?
- How fast the Amoeba proteus can move?
- Does Amoeba proteus have eyes?
- How does Amoeba proteus breathe?
- How does Amoeba proteus reproduce?
- Where to look for Amoeba proteus?
- How to find Amoeba proteus under an optical microscope?
- What to look for under the microscope?
- I saw some shiny particles inside Amoeba proteus. What is that?
- Do other Amoebas also look like Amoeba proteus?
- Where did the name “Amoeba” come from?
- How is Amoeba classified?
- I heard that Amoebas can eat human brains. Is it true?