Could Water Bears be creatures from outer space? Perhaps they arrived on Earth via meteorites (panspermia). In April 2019, we sent some to the Moon! Marine Biologist Stephanie Rose shares the fascinating facts in her ModestFish blog here.
Hardy Tardigrades
by Celia BerrellA “Water Bear” has four short pairs
of legs with curly claws.
It ambles like a furry bear
but never ever roars.Its caterpillar body shape
has crinkles all the way.
That mouth hides two sharp pointy spikes
which jab into its prey.It sucks out all the juicy bits
from mossy lichen cells
and sometimes catches other “bears”
and eats them up as well.A Tardigrade won’t hibernate.
Instead, it just dries out.
And in this state, survives a fate
that nothing else surmounts.A vacuum doesn’t kill it, nor
high pressures most extreme.
It doesn’t die from heat or Sun,
or even X-ray beams.Resistant to the coldest cold,
subsisting on the brink,
it still lives on when soaked
in any alcoholic drink.They’re found throughout the world
in almost any soggy place.
And when they’re dehydrated
they’ll survive in outer space.We’ve proved they’re perfect candidates
that don’t need to be taught
the disciplines of how to be
a micro-astronaut!