I am sure we have heard of some animals with quite remarkable abilities such as those that are biologically immortal i.e animals that don't age and will never die unless they are killed, such as the jellyfish, lobsters e.t.c.
We have even heard of the wood frog that subjects it's body to subfreezing temperatures for up to eight months each year during winter, completely frozen solid with no muscle movement, no breathing, no heartbeat, as it's hibernation strategy, only to thaw out in the early spring and continue it's life activities like it didn't just go through an astonishing process.
Not forgetting the unpopular house pest in some homes; the Cockroach. An Insect that science claims can live for more than a week without it's head, can survive heavy nuclear radiation, can hold it's breath for up to 40 minutes, and can even live without food for a month.
There are a host of many more life forms with unbelievable survival abilities, but can any of them hold a candle to the microscopic but extremely resilient TARDIGARDE??? Let's find out.
Here are a few facts about Tardigardes
- They can withstand temperatures from −272 °C (−458 °F) to 150 °C (300 °F)
- They can survive supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and asteroid impacts
- They can go without food or water for 30 years and revive themselves back to normal
- They can also survive radiation, boiling, freezing, crushing, massive amounts of pressure of up to six times the pressure of the deepest part of the ocean and even the vacuum of space without any protection
- They are usually water-dwelling creatures but can be found in a myriad of places like Antarctic ice, deep in ocean beds to a depth of 14,000 ft, high up in Himalayas at a height of 20,000 ft, tree barks, moss and more!
These are but a few facts about the tardigardes; virtually unkillable animals. But at least we can be thankful for a few other details about them such as the fact that they are only about 0.5mm on average, they eat fluids as food through the process of sucking Juice from algae, lichens and moss (although some species are carnivores and even cannibals — they can prey on other tardigrades) but you don't have to worry about them coming to eat you in your sleep any day, Lol.
So, do you think that tardigardes are the toughest survivalist lifeforms out there? or do you know of ones more resilient? Your comments are welcome.