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Water Bears
Fun Facts:
Tardigrades can survive extreme habitats and are known as Earth's toughest survivors!
They can survive space vacuums, the pressure of the deep sea, cold temperatures of the Antarctic tundras, and the heat of geothermal areas like hot springs.
They can live for decades without food or water.
They are resistant to radiation.
Key Characteristics:
Support & Structure: Instead of a bones and a skeleton, many water bears have a hard external shell called a cuticle.
Molt: Water bears must molt, or shed their cuticle to grow larger. Crabs and insects do this also!
Feeding: water bears feed with a specialized mouth part that is a sharp, needle-like structure that pierces plant or animal cells and sucks out the liquid. This is called the bucco-pharyngeal apparatus.
Reproduction: water bears reproduce both sexually and asexually as females can reproduce without males.
Respiration: Water bears have no lungs and breathe through their skin.
Symmetry: bilateral
Categories of Water Bears
Categories of Water Bears
Click the button "Learn More!" to learn more about water bears!
Eutardigrada
Eutardigrada
Naked and Smooth
Heterotardigrada
Heterotardigrada
Armored with Plates
Mesotardigrada is a category of Water Bears that is rarely studies or published in literature. This has lead to questions about the credibility of this category, with some thinking this it is invalid. This goes to show our knowledge about invertebrates is always changing and expanding!
Mesotardigrada is a category of Water Bears that is rarely studies or published in literature. This has lead to questions about the credibility of this category, with some thinking this it is invalid. This goes to show our knowledge about invertebrates is always changing and expanding!
Water Bears Explained!
Water Bears Explained!
Tardigardes have Bilateral Symmetry
Tardigardes have Bilateral Symmetry
Body plan can be divided straight down the middle into two halves, with a matching right and left half.
Tardigrade Body Plan
Tardigrade Body Plan
Amazing Water Bear Clips to Watch
Amazing Water Bear Clips to Watch
Interactive Tardigrade Website
Interactive Tardigrade Website
This page is founded by the American Museum of Natural History!
Click the photo to explore the website!
Water Bears are found globally. They are found on every continent, from the deep sea, to on top of mountains, to extremely hot and cold environments. They can even be found in your back yard or near your house!
Water Bears are found globally. They are found on every continent, from the deep sea, to on top of mountains, to extremely hot and cold environments. They can even be found in your back yard or near your house!
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