Water Bear (Tardigrada)

What is Tardigrada (Water Bear)?

Water Bear (Tardigrada) is a bear that life in the water, this animal isn't a real furly and vertebrate bear, but it's a small animal that doesn't have spine. It has many variation of size, the smallest one is less than 0.1mm, and the biggest one only 1.5mm, they can be easily seen by microscope.

Water Bear (Tardigrada) has a fat body like a worm with frontage and 4 segment body, each segment have a pair of leg with claw in the end. Based on the observation on the inside of the body, Tardigrada is known to have a simple organ system. They don't have respiration or blood circulation, instead they breath with their skin and use their fat body to pump the body fluids. The digest are also simple, the food they eat will discharge to a pipeline like intestine, the food will be absorb in there and will be discard by the buttock.

Water Bear (Tardigrada) already been discovered by johann august Ephraim Goezepada on 1773. Some people have argument that the first discoverer is Anthony Van Leeuwenhok on 1702, he take the dust from his housetop and flush it with hot water to see is there any creature in the dust. The name "Tardigrada" is given by Lazzaro Spallanzani on 1777 which mean "Slow Walker", and the "Water Bear" name is because the motion like a bear motion when walk with 4 feet.