Classification:
Phylum: Tardigrada
Class: Heterotardigrada
Species: Echiniscus testudo
Common Name: Water Bears
Class: Heterotardigrada
Species: Echiniscus testudo
Common Name: Water Bears
General Characteristics:
Water bears are small, microscopic organisms that have short, stout bodies in the shape of a cylinder. They have eight legs with four claws on each leg. The mouths of water bears have sharp stylets that they use to cut into moss leaves or algae in order to consume them. Once cut, the water bear will suck the juices from their food source. Occasionally, they will also eat nematodes and rotifers that also live in moss. They can live in an antibiotic state for several years in order to survive poor environmental conditions. Females are also slightly larger and lay their eggs on a shed of exoskeleton.
Habitat:
Water bears can inhabit an extremely wide range of habitats where their food sources are located.
Importance to Humans:
Water bears are one of the very few creatures that have been able to survive the vacuum of space. They are of interest to scientists looking to determine if life can exist on other planets besides our own.
Sources:
"Water Bear". FCPS. Retrieved from: http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/water_bear.htm.