I am here today to talk about my very favorite animal: the water bear (aka moss piglet or tardigrade). To start, what is a water bear? Well, they comprise a phylum of eight-legged, segmented, tiny (naked to the human eye), multicellular superheroes (animals really, but superheroes to me). These little guys live primarily on mosses – but they are so cool. I know, eight-legs doesn’t sound too cute, but if you get the chance to see one of these little creatures under a microscope – they’re adorable. They live their lives in any humid or damp area where they are covered by a layer of water. They eat mostly plants like microscopic algae but have been known to hunt the occasional rotifer – or whatever is in sight. They have tiny little claws, helpful for navigating the rugged terrain of the microscopic world.

“Okay, but what makes them ‘superheroes’?”

Here’s a list of facts showcasing just how amazing these animals are:

• Tardigrades are officially the first multicellular organism to be quantum entangled successfully.
• They can live in the most extreme environments without dying.
• Tardigrades have been shot into space, deprived of all necessities for life – and once they were brought back it was found none had perished.
• They can enter a death-like state called “dormancy” to prevent themselves from dying when conditions are not met. This means they can shut down their entire systems and enter a “sleep” where they remain until their surroundings have improved.

In my opinion, tardigrades are amazing, but in actuality, they are only scratching the surface of the marvels beheld within the wide world of the microscopic.

Written by Horticulture Intern, Anna Novak

References:

Left Image: Berbe, Herte. “Wholesome Memes – The Toughest Teacher | /r/Wholesomememes.” Know Your Meme, Reddit, 2022, https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1763038-wholesome-memes. Accessed Aug. 2022.

Right Image:

Cullen, Ian. Facebook, 26 Jan. 2022, https://www.facebook.com/groups/WildGreenMemesForEcologicalFiends/posts/3173902266172335/. Accessed Aug. 2022.