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Chloroplasts
One of the characteristics of the euglena is the presence of chloroplasts. Coming in a variety of shapes, including oval and U-shaped, chloroplasts contain green pigment used by the euglena during photosynthesis. Chloroplasts help the euglena generate their own source of nourishment and help give the euglena a green color.
Flagellum
All euglena come equipped with a tail-like flagellum, a structure that resembles a whip, according to the Johnson County Community College. The euglena uses its flagellum for locomotion, but it does not use it to push itself along through the water. Instead, much like the propeller of an airplane, the flagellum works to pull the euglena around during its travels. The flagellum is visible under a powerful microscope, while an additional, and smaller, flagellum close by is not.
Eyespot
One aspect of the euglena that is very much like that of an animal's is its eyespot, which it employs to locate light so it may engage in photosynthesis. The eyespot is not a true eye as you know it but rather an organelle -- a part of the euglena designed for one specific function. The eyespot contains pigment, while an area nearby to it also has an amount of black pigment. Light striking the black pigmented area creates a more shaded region, which the eyespot uses to determine which direction the light comes from.
More Characteristics
The euglena lacks a cellulose wall, making it less like a plant and more like an animal. Cellulose, the substance found in such items as wood, has a composition of various sugars that refrain from dissolving in mediums such as water. Euglena have the use of an ingestion apparatus resembling a primitive mouth, which it uses to eat other one-celled creatures when it cannot survive via photosynthesis.