Water bear

tardigrade

Tardigrades are usually about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long when fully grown.[2] They are short and plump, with four pairs of legs, each ending in claws (usually four to eight) or suction disks.[2][17] Tardigrades are prevalent in mosses and lichens and feed on plant cells, algae, and small invertebrates. When collected, they may be viewed under a low-power microscope, making them accessible to students and amateur scientists. Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Eumetazoa Clade: ParaHoxozoa Clade: Bilateria Clade: Nephrozoa (unranked): Protostomia Superphylum: Ecdysozoa (unranked): Panarthropoda Phylum: Tardigrada Tardigrades are often found on lichens and mosses— for example, by soaking a piece of moss in water.[19] Other environments in which they are found include dunes and coasts generally, soil, leaf litter, and marine or freshwater sediments, where they may occur quite frequently, up to 25,000 animals per litre (95,000 animals per gallon). One tardigrade, Echiniscoides wyethi, may be found on barnacles.