Water bears, or tardigrades as they are scientifically known, are some of the hardiest microorganisms that exist on our planet. Annihilating them is no simple feat. These enigmatic entities – also referred to as moss piglets – perpetually puzzle scientists, whose research could have considerable future ramifications. Understanding the durability and near otherworldly abilities of these water bears could potentially pave the way for innovative technologies being developed by scientists. Ready to get acquainted with these charming, plump little creatures? Here are 25 Amazing Facts About Water Bears That Will Leave You Stunned.
25 Awesome Facts About Water Bears That Will Blow Your Mind
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Photo: 1. Peter von Bagh, Empty Tardigrades (Public Domain), 2. Bob Blaylock, TardigradeEggsInShedCuticle, CC BY-SA 4.0
, 3. Dmitry Brant, Tardigrade, CC BY-SA 4.0
, 4. NPS.gov (Public Domain), 5. MaxPixel.com (Public Domain), 6. WikipediaCommons.com (Public Domain), 7. Roͬͬ͠͠͡͠͠͠͠͠͠͠͠sͬͬ͠͠͠͠͠͠͠͠͠aͬͬ͠͠͠͠͠͠͠ Menkman, A waterbear / Tardigrade through a microscope, CC BY 2.0, 8. Peter von Bagh, A running Tartigrade, CC BY 2.0, 9. Tommy from Arad, Tardigrada -b, CC BY 2.0
, 10. Willow Gabriel, Goldstein Lab, Hypsibiusdujardini, CC BY-SA 2.5
, 11. Takuma Hashimoto, Daiki D. Horikawa,Yuki Saito,Hirokazu Kuwahara,Hiroko Kozuka-Hata, Tadasu Shin-I, Yohei Minakuchi,Kazuko Ohishi,Ayuko Motoyama,Tomoyuki Aizu,Atsushi Enomoto,Koyuki Kondo, Sae Tanaka,Yuichiro Hara, Shigeyuki Koshikawa,Hiroshi Sagara,Toru Miura,Shin-ichi Yokobori,Kiyoshi Miyagawa,Yutaka Suzuki et al., Tardigrade Nature ncomms12808-f1, CC BY-SA 4.0
, 12. WikipediaCommons.com (Public Domain), 13. Frank Fox, Mikrofoto.de-Baertierchen5, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
, 14. Barksdale Air Force Base (Public Domain), 15. Pixabay.com (Public Domain), 16. Bob Goldstein and Vicky Madden, UNC Chapel Hill, Waterbear, CC BY-SA 3.0
, 17. Pixabay.com (Public Domain), 18. PxHere.com (Public Domain), 19. Pixabay.com (Public Domain), 20. Pixabay.com (Public Domain), 21. MaxPixel.com (Public Domain), 22. WikipediaCommons.com (Public Domain), 24. Schokraie E, Warnken U, Hotz-Wagenblatt A, Grohme MA, Hengherr S, et al. (2012), SEM image of Milnesium tardigradum in active state - journal.pone.0045682.g001-2, CC BY 2.5
, 25. Frank Fox, Mikrofoto.de-Baertier18, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE