{"id":37464,"date":"2024-04-19T15:06:39","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T13:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/041f983b-2f05-4089-aa8d-aeb9ab1edec1"},"modified":"2024-04-19T15:35:41","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T13:35:41","slug":"tardigrades-meet-these-fascinating-tiny-water-bears-that-are-said-to-be-the-toughest-creatures-on-earth-able-to-survive-being-microwaved-and-being-sent-to-space","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/tardigrades-meet-these-fascinating-tiny-water-bears-that-are-said-to-be-the-toughest-creatures-on-earth-able-to-survive-being-microwaved-and-being-sent-to-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Tardigrades: meet these fascinating tiny water bears that are said to be the toughest creatures on earth, able to survive being microwaved and being sent to space"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tardigrades are one of the toughest and most intriguing creatures on Earth. Nick Baker takes a look at these microscopic bear-like creatures, also known as water bears <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 19 April 2024 at 13:06 PM<\/p>

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Tardigrades are probably among the most unbreakable creatures on Earth, able to survive dehydration, microwaving and temperatures as hot as 150\u00baC or as low as \u2013273\u00baC.<\/p>

They can also cope with being exposed to the ionising radiation of outer-space. Not tough enough? On top of all of these credentials, they can exist in suspended animation for over three decades. It is also claimed that these animals have the physiological capabilities to be the last beast standing in the event of a nuclear holocaust.<\/p>

10 animals that have been to space<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
What are tardigrades?<\/h2>
Tardigrades, which translates as \u2018slow walkers\u2019, are an eight-legged segmented micro-animal found from the deepest ocean sediments to the top of Mount Everest. But, luckily for you, they live in less exotic and more user-friendly locations too. That clump of moss on your garden wall or in your blocked gutter, for instance.<\/p>
<\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-are-they-called-water-bears\">Why are they called water bears?<\/h2><p class=\"p3\">Tardigrades are also known as \u2018water bears\u2019 and \u2018moss piglets\u2019. Neither is a name that you would associate with such tough nuts, though these monikers go some way to describing the animals\u2019 bumbling gait and chubby, turgid appearance. They\u2019re clearly not mammals, however. Indeed, they are so weird and unlike any other life-forms that the 1,100 or so species have earned themselves a phylum all of their own: Tardigrada.<\/p><p class=\"p3\">To put this in context: humans, real bears and actual pigs belong to the phylum Chordata, which includes all animals with backbones. In short, there is nothing quite like tardigrades \u2013 they\u2019re unique. If you\u2019re wondering why you\u2019ve never bumped into one, it\u2019s because they require a bit of looking for.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-big-are-tardigrades\">How big are tardigrades?<\/h2><p class=\"p3\">Even a large tardigrade is just 1mm in length, hardly colossal, so is easily missed. But tardigrades are as fascinating as they are small, and worth the extra effort to try to find \u2013 they\u2019re probably among the few microscopic creatures that could be described as cute.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p5\" id=\"h-what-do-tardigrades-look-like\">What do tardigrades look like?<\/h2><p class=\"p2\">That quilted, segmented, transparent body is equipped with four pairs of fleshy legs, each of which ends in a set of retractable claws (4\u20138 depending on species). These are used to swim or grapple their way through water and over damp surfaces. Their \u2018face\u2019 sometimes has a basic eye-spot on each side, but centrally positioned is the feeding tube through which the animals hoover up bacteria and algae.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-find-and-see-tardigrades\">How to find and see tardigrades<\/h2><p class=\"p3\">Intrigued? Want to meet one? Well, going on a bear hunt is really easy but you do need some form of magnification. While some large specimens can just about be seen with a hand lens, a microscope that can achieve around x15\u2013x30 magnification is best, and x100 is even better.<\/p><p class=\"p3\">All you need to do is scrape up a small quantity of soggy autumn leaves, a clump of moss or a fragment of lichen and then soak it. This is necessary to increase your chances of finding one, since any in their tun stage will have had time to rehydrate and become mobile. Now wring the material out, squeezing between your fingers, and collect the liquid. Next place a few drops at a time in a small, clear-sided pot, such as a petri dish.<\/p><p class=\"p3\">Search through this liquid using a bright light or lamp shone from the sides. When you finally clamp your eyes on a dumpy creature complete with eight curious grasping limbs, you know you\u2019ve found your tardigrade. It\u2019s an animal everyone should meet at least once in their lives. <\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group highlight-box is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\"><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-more-by-nick-baker\">More by Nick Baker<\/h4><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/sea-spider-gangly-lancer\/\">Sea spider: meet the strange gangly lancer that\u2019s all legs and no body<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/silver-washed-fritillary-facts\/\">Silver-washed fritillary: a guide to one of Britain\u2019s biggest butterflies, including how they mate<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/snow-flea-facts\/\">What is a snow flea? And just how does it survive winter?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/sea-mouse-aphrodita-aculeata\/\">Sea mouse: a guide to the Aphrodita aculeata<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/what-is-a-hydra\/\">What is a hydra?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/ragworm-facts\/\">Ragworms guide: what they are, where they live and what they eat<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Illustration by Peter David Scott\/The Art Agency<\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tardigrades are one of the toughest and most intriguing creatures on Earth. 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