Tiny but Tough: Developing a Report on Water Bears

Priya's Research Notes

1Tardigrades are tiny animals. Most are so small that you need a microscope to see one clearly. Scientists have found them all over the world.

2A tardigrade has a plump body and eight short legs with tiny claws. Because of its shape and its slow, waddling walk, people often call it a water bear.

3The word tardigrade means "slow walker."

4Tardigrades live in many damp places, such as moss, soil, ponds and the ocean. They need a thin layer of water around them to stay active.

5When its home dries out, a tardigrade pulls in its legs and curls into a dry ball called a tun. A tun is a tardigrade's resting shape for dry times. When water comes back, the tardigrade can uncurl and crawl again.

6Scientists have sent dried-out tardigrades into space, and some of them survived the trip.

7From my interview with Mr. Haddad, our science teacher: "I found my first water bear in a clump of moss from the school parking lot. I added a drop of water, and a dry tun uncurled. Then it slowly began to crawl."

Priya's Draft

Tardigrades are tiny, but they are very tough. When the moss they live in dries out in the sun, a tardigrade curls into a dry ball called a tun. A tun is a tardigrade's resting shape for dry times. My cousin has a pet hamster that sleeps all day. When rain soaks the moss, the tardigrade can uncurl and crawl away. Scientists have even sent tardigrades into space, and some of them survived.