25 Awesome Facts About Water Bears That Will Blow Your Mind

Posted by , Updated on March 24, 2024

Water bears stand as some of the most resilient microorganisms on Earth. It’s clear that obliterating them is no easy task. These creatures, also known as tardigrades or moss piglets, continue to baffle scientists every day and their research could have significant implications for the future. By comprehending the robustness and almost-supernatural abilities of water bears, scientists could pioneer new technologies. So are you prepared to dive in with these endearing, chubby tiny beings? Here are 25 Incredible Facts About Water Bears That Will Astonish You.

25

They're tiny. They range in size from .002 to .05 inches but don't get much bigger than .04 inches.

tardigradesSource: https://www.livescience.com/57985-tardigrade-facts.html
24

They have 8 legs with 4 to 8 claws attached to each and were originally named "kleiner Wasserbär," meaning little water bear.

water bearSource: https://steemit.com/steemstem/@katerinaramm/let-s-meet-tardigrate-the-survivor-amazing-creatures-of-the-deep-series
23

They've been around for a long time...600 million years to be exact. That makes them significantly older than the dinosaurs that first appeared 230 million years ago.

dinosaursSource: http://mentalfloss.com/article/71380/7-tough-facts-about-tardigrades
22

Food is not exactly a major requirement for water bears. If it wants to, it can go without a good meal for over a decade.

foodSource: http://www.businessinsider.com/tardigrades-facts-water-bear-science-outer-space-2017-10
21

Water bears can survive water pressure six times greater than the ocean floor and can live through being boiled in alcohol.

boiling waterSource: http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/shifflet_bran/WhatElse.htm
20

They can virtually live in any environment. Astronauts released them in space unprotected for weeks and they survived.

spaceSource: http://www.businessinsider.com/tardigrades-facts-water-bear-science-outer-space-2017-10
19

While they can endure extreme environments and are pretty much indestructible, they prefer to live in water and damp places, like underneath a lake bed or on moist moss.

wet mossSource: http://mentalfloss.com/article/71380/7-tough-facts-about-tardigrades
18

Put to the test, scientists discovered water bears can withstand temperatures of minus 328 Fahrenheit (-200 Celsius) and 300 Fahrenheit (148.9 Celsius).

thermometerSource: https://www.livescience.com/57985-tardigrade-facts.html
17

They can endure high doses of radiation. Scientists exposed them to 1000 times the radiation it takes to kill a human for them to finally die.

radiationSource: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17178624
16

The superpower that allows them to withstand pretty much anything is called "Cryptobiosis." They can shut down their metabolism to .01 percent and practically play dead, making them almost indestructible.

WaterbearSource: http://mentalfloss.com/article/71380/7-tough-facts-about-tardigrades
15

Some have theorized they might not be from Earth. In a process call panspermia, extraterrestrial organisms come here riding on a comet. Since tardigrades can withstand extreme environments, it makes sense they could have come here from someplace else.

cometSource: https://www.space.com/5843-legged-space-survivor-panspermia-life.html
14

Because of their ability to withstand high level of radiation, scientists have begun using their protective protein to help guard humans from radiation.

radiation suitSource: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12808
13

Tardigrades are not all the same. Scientists have studied over 1,000 different species and believe there could be ten times that many.

water bear speciesSource: http://www.tardigrada.net/newsletter/tardigrades.htm
12

Scientists believe that if a catastrophic event were to occur on Earth, Tardigrades would likely survive it and carry on.

impactSource: https://www.sportdiver.com/tardigrades-facts-about-nearly-indestructible-water-bear#page-3
11

Tardigrades form a shape called a "tun" after being removed from water and dried out. In this pill shape, they release antifreeze and trehalose to protect their bodies. Scientists have been trying to copy the process to protect other delicate tissue like sperm and eggs.

tardigrade tunSource: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/8/16991280/tardigrade-facts-waterbear-explained
10

While most water bears feed on the cells of planets, some of the species are predatory carnivores.

tardigrade feedSource: https://www.britannica.com/animal/tardigrade
9

Though small, they are quite dangerous and deadly for their size. They have sharp, dagger-like teeth that they use to attack their prey.

TardigradeSource: https://www.hexapolis.com/2016/01/06/7-facts-you-should-know-about-the-tardigrade-natures-super-animal/
8

A study in 2016 published in Journal of Zoological Systems and Evolutionary Research detailed the water bear's mating habits. They discovered they have sex for an hour.

water pigletSource: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/8/16991280/tardigrade-facts-waterbear-explained
7

Some species of female water bears don't need to have sex with males to reproduce. In a process called parthenogenesis, she can secrete her DNA information directly into one of her eggs.

water bear reproduceSource: https://www.livescience.com/61148-baby-tardigrade-development.html
6

We've known about water bears for a long time. They were first discovered in 1773 by German pastor, Johann August Ephraim Goeze.

Johann_August_Ephraim_GoezeSource: https://www.livescience.com/57985-tardigrade-facts.html
5

Not only can they defend against heavy radiation, they can repair their damaged DNA after being exposed to it.

dnaSource: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0064793
4

Because of their hardiness, water bears have been known to create entirely new ecosystems. For instance, after a volcano erupts and the lava destroys the surrounding area, water bears will colonize the dead area, feeding on microbes.

lavaSource: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/8/16991280/tardigrade-facts-waterbear-explained
3

Tardigrade babies have adult cells at birth. Their cells don't divide but rather grow in size.

Tardigrade babySource: http://factslegend.org/20-interesting-tardigrade-facts/
2

Tardigrades have the most foreign DNA of any animal on the planet, many of which are from plants, bacteria, and fungi. They're capable of stealing this DNA to survive.

tardigrade dnaSource: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/water-bears-tardigrades-master-dna-thieves-animal-world-180957371/
1

They can turn into a powerful glass to combat dehydration. Scientists believe unlocking this capability could help improve electronic devices.

glass tardigradeSource: https://www.hexapolis.com/2016/01/06/7-facts-you-should-know-about-the-tardigrade-natures-super-animal/


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