The Toughest Animal Which May Surprise You

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Now you may have heard that a cockroach can withstand a nuclear attack and may have wondered how well that is because cockroaches have the ability to withstand extreme radiation exposures, but there is another creature nicknamed as ”nature’s greatest survivor” is even more invincible and you’ve probably never even heard of it. Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are some of the fascinating animals in the world because they can live happily in the most extreme conditions.

It’s not visible to naked eye, this pic is 200x magnified one

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Source: Science News

This creature can survive temperature as low as -457 degrees and heat as high as 357 degrees and 5,700 grays (unit of radiation) of radiation and pressures about six times greater than those found in the deepest ocean trenches when 10-20 grays would kill humans and most other animals. Here comes the most surprising part these animals can also live for a decade without water and even survive in space and has a lifespan of 200 years. It has over 900 species.

Now the question arises how are they able to withstand this extreme conditions

How Do They Survive ?

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Source: ExtremeTech

This is due to the process known as cryptobiosis. This is a state of extreme hibernation that many microscopic creatures use to survive difficult environments, such as those lacking water or air.

In the tardigrade’s case, the creature’s metabolism slows down to less than 0.01 percent of its normal rate, it sheds nearly all of the water in its body, and curls up into a “turn” state — forming a tiny, indestructible pellet. It is thought that some tardigrade’s coat themselves glassy molecules giving them ability to survive without water.

Its eggs have also been retrieved from the frozen moss sample was revived as well, hatching into a fully functional tardigrade on day six, which then went on to lay its own eggs just eight days later. This is a species that just doesn’t know how to quit.

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