MNN - Mother Nature Network

Tardigrades are microscopic animals blessed with two very cool nicknames — the water bear and the moss piglet. They are segmented and reach a maximum length of a millimeter, maybe a millimeter and a half. That's about this big:

 

Water bears are as indestructible — they are tiny; they've been known to survive in temperatures as cold as minus 459 degrees F and as hot as 304 degrees F; they shrug off extreme doses of radiation and laugh in the face of the silent vacuum of space itself. In an experiment in 2007, water bears were exposed to outer space for 10 days. After returning to Earth it was discovered that a lot of the bears survived and even had some babies.

 

That's one baaaadd microscopic organism.

 

Shut yo mouth!

 

Hey man, I'm just talking about tardigrades.

 

Anyway, water bears are massively interesting little creatures. YouTube user AkiraFlickr shot video of a tardigrade captured from a backyard pond that's worthy of a watch.