Category: Invertebrates
“Water bears” or “moss piglets” are tiny (~0.5 mm), aquatic, segmented animals that are able to withstand extreme environmental conditions – including temperatures that are exceedingly low (almost absolute zero) and high (well over water’s boiling point), extreme pressure, high doses of ionizing radiation, and the vacuum of outer space! They can also survive without food or water for over ten years and then resume foraging and reproducing upon rehydration. Around 1,150 species have been described, and tardigrades can be found almost everywhere in the world, though they are most abundant in moist environments.
It’s an ant’s world. We’re just living in it.
Do humans truly dominate the world? The Argentine ant may have something to say about that. Many ants are known for their large colonies, but the Argentine ant, named for its South American origins takes this to a whole other level. Due to inadvertent introduction by humans, the Argentine ant has spread to all continents except Antarctica. There are now three known super-colonies of these ants: one in Europe (the largest, covering 3,700 miles), one in California (560 miles), and another on the west coast of Japan. Ants are often territorial, but amazingly, ants belonging to the super-colonies recognize one another: if you were to introduce a super colony ant from Japan to one from Europe or California, they will recognize each other as friends!
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Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
