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Tardigrades (Water Bear)

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  Animal class: Tardigrades (Are invertebrates (with no backbone or exoskeleton (an outer skeleton around the whole body to help protect them), have fused (all together) 4 segmented bodies, have eight unjointed legs with 4-8 sharp claws on each leg, to reproduce (to have a baby) the males fertilize the eggs, and the female either carries the eggs or keeps them close, can withstand extremely cold, dry, or hot weather by going into a “tun” state (they dry their bodies out and turn onto a ball, and can live like this for many years), and their sizes range from the Hypsibius Dujardini (a type of Water bear) at 0.002 in (0.50 mm) to the Echiniscoides Sigismondi (a type of water bear) at 0.05 in (1.5 mm)) (Examples: Water bears) There are around 1,000 different species)
• Diet: Omnivore (They eat plants and meat): Bacteria, the fluid of a plant, and animal cells, nematodes (roundworms), and other tardigrades
• Lifespan: Some species will live for only a few months, and others a few years. If they go into a dehydrated state, it could be much longer.
• Predators: Tardigrades, nematodes (roundworms), spiders, insect larvae (babies), and amoebas
• Size: 0.002 to 0.04 in (0.05 to 1.02 millimeters)
• Species: There are about 1,100 different species
• Status: Not Threatened
• Weight: No known weight
• Where do they live?: They can survive almost anywhere there is water, the deep oceans, lakes, ponds, tall snow-covered mountains, and even space! (scientist did experiment).
• They can also survive solar ultraviolet radiation, temperatures colder than -328F (-200C) and hotter than 300F (148.9C), extreme pressure (like at the bott om of the ocean), being shot from a gun, and the vacuum of space.
• To withstand these extreme environments, these micro-animals squeeze all the water out of their bodies, tuck their heads and limbs into their bodies, and roll into a ball called a “tun.” When their environments get better, they will return to their normal state. They can stay in a dehydrated, death-like state for five or more years. The oldest revived from this was 30 years.
• They do not have bones, but they have a hydroskeleton. Their hydroskeleton is where the body is supported by fluid-fi lled cavities, like jellyfish or earthworms.
• They are translucent (clear or see-through), but you can see them in the right light without a microscope.