AMAZING WORLD TARDIGRADES: NATURE’S SURVIVORS
I
f you thought the cockroach was the
at only 0.05 - 1.2mm, these tiny animals
changed or developed. There are currently
Earth’s hardiest creature, think again!
can survive almost anything, including being
1,018 individual species of tardigrade, each
There is an animal even tougher, far
boiled, frozen, crushed, dried out and even
with slightly different approaches to feeding
smaller and, if you believe it’s possible, even
exposed to the vacuum of space! In fact,
and reproduction. That said, these amazing
stranger looking: the tardigrade, am eight-
fossils of these stubborn tardigrades have
critters have a list of incredible features in
legged micro-animal most commonly found
been found from over 500 million years ago,
common.
in watery environments – however, beyond
suggesting that the species has survived
Tardigrades were first discovered in 1773
that, they show up just about everywhere!
through the planet’s exposure to five mass
by German zoologist and pastor Johann
extinctions.
August Ephraim Goeze. They acquired their
Better known as “moss piglets” and “water bears”, tardigrades are minute but
Of course, surviving for half a billion years
name Tardigrada (“slow stepper”) three
near-indestructible creatures; measuring in
does not mean that tardigrades have never
years later, from Italian biologist Lazzaro
28 | Endeavour Magazine