Water bear Tardigrada
Despite its microscopic proportions, the water bear (or tardigrade) is a real animal. It has eight legs, eyes, nerves, muscles and a snout with a mouth. It can survive extreme conditions for almost 30 years.
Surviving and thriving in every environment
Water bears can be found all around us, for example among moss, on stones, or roof tiles with a moss layer. However, they have also been found at the top of high mountains and in the very depths of the ocean.
Tiny ingenious barrel
In order to survive, the water bear enters a dormant state, shrivelling up into a tiny barrel consisting of only 3% water. It is capable of waking up from that state after as long as 30 years, even though it normally lives just a few months. As soon as the environment is capable of supporting it, it ‘comes back to life’. A few drops of water are enough to trigger this.
Marine quill water bear
There are currently 18 species of water bear known in the Netherlands, but there are probably many more. Perhaps you have already heard of the species Batillipes pennaki, known in Dutch as the ‘vulpenstekelstrandbeerdiertje’ (roughly translated: the marine quilled water bear). This name is guaranteed to win you a game of Scrabble, and perfectly describes this creature, which is found in the upper sandy layers of beaches and sports a spiny tube that resembles the tip of a fountain pen. It uses this tube to suck up algae.
Water bears in space
In 2007, tardigrades became the first animals to survive unprotected space travel. During a 10-day mission outside Earth’s atmosphere, researchers demonstrated that tardigrades were capable of withstanding the cold, extreme radiation and vacuum in space, and still come back to life upon their return. This makes these unique microorganisms an important research subject for future space missions.
Want to learn more about microbes?
At ARTIS-Micropia, you can see real live water bears under the microscope. There are also two giant water bears in the museum that are perfect for taking a fun selfie. Will we be seeing you soon?