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 Classification
Living or Extinct Connections
Sources
1. World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS)
2. Catalogue of Life
Wikidata: Tardigrada
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