Tardigrades and anhydrobiosis: Water bears and water loss

Abstract

The Phylum Tardigrada consists of about 900 known species of microscopic animals that are often referred to by their endearing popular names, water bears or moss piglets (translated from the German expressions Wasser Bär and Mooschweinchen). The group is considered a sister group to the arthropods, with animals typically less than 0.5 mm in length1. As tardigrades are of no direct medical or agricultural importance, their study is confined to a small, but highly productive, international community of researchers. © 2008 The Biochemical Society.