Today's Image

This tiny creature is called a tardigrade

Tardigrade
Tardigrade via Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa, Corinna Schulze and Ricardo Neves/Nikon Small World.

Say hello to a tardigrade as seen through a laser scanning microscope. You might have heard them called water bears or moss piglets. The biggest tardigrades never get to be more than about 1.5 mm long, and most of them spend most of their days eating algae or bacteria and swimming around in droplets of water on moss or lichen. In fact, many kinds of tardigrades turn green when they eat because their bodies are transparent. They are fascinating … and adorable.

For more info and pics of tardigrades, check out the Goldstein Lab’s website, at UNC Chapel Hill.

Via io9.

Posted 
March 13, 2014
 in 
Today's Image

Like what you read?
Subscribe and receive daily news delivered to your inbox.

Your email address will only be used for EarthSky content. Privacy Policy
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

More from 

Editors of EarthSky

View All