Tardigrade
Tardigrade
Invertebrate
The tardigrade, or water bear, is one of the toughest animals known — able to survive being frozen, boiled, dried out and even blasted into space by switching its body almost completely off.
💡 Fun Facts
- Water bears can survive being frozen, boiled, dried out, and even blasted into open space.
- They do it by curling into a dried-up 'tun' and almost switching off their bodies.
- They are smaller than a full stop, yet tougher than almost any other animal — though they are not indestructible, and strong sunlight can still kill them.
Name Story
Milnesium tardigradum
means “Milne's slow-stepper”
What does its name mean?
- Milnesium — named after the naturalist Henri Milne-Edwardsa person's name
- tardigradum — slow-stepperLatin tardus 'slow' + gradus 'step'
'Tardigrade' means 'slow-stepper', for the way these tiny eight-legged animals trundle gently through a drop of water — which is also why their friendly nickname is the 'water bear'. The first half of the name honours a naturalist, Henri Milne-Edwards.