 |
 |
Tardigrades (water bears, Echiniscus sp.) are an obscure group of invertebrates (Tardigrada) located between the nematodes (roundworms) and the arthropods (crustacea, insects, and ticks). Tardigrades are microscopic aquatic animals that need water to live and are found in marine, freshwater, and semi-aquatic terrestrial habitats. They can live in extreme environments ranging from hot springs to solid ice. Without water they shrivel into a cask stage and survive long periods of desiccation in a stage called cryptobiosis. Water bears feed on the fluids of plant and animal cells.
Image and text copyright © Dennis Kunkel. All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
