The water bears: microscopic invertebrates with eight stubby legs, famous for surviving extreme conditions, near-total dehydration, radiation many times a lethal human dose, and brief exposure to the vacuum of space, by entering a dormant state called cryptobiosis. Tardigrada is found in mosses, lichens and sediment on every continent, including Antarctica.
Facts
Disputed
Member Species/Taxa CountApproximate described-species (or, for a genus, described-taxon) count; continually revised as species are newly described, reclassified or synonymized. Taxonomic Rank Scientific Name Connections
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