28.8.11

Water Bear Egg


Water bear (Paramacrobiotus richtersi) egg, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Water bears (or tardigrades) are tiny invertebrates that live in aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats such as lichen and damp moss. They require water to obtain oxygen by gas exchange. In dry conditions, they can enter a cryptobiotic state of dessication, known as a tun, to survive. In this state, water bears can survive for up to a decade. This egg was found in moss samples from Tubingen, Germany. Water bears are found throughout the world, including regions of extreme temperature, such as hot springs, and extreme pressure, such as deep underwater. They can also survive the high levels of radiation and vacuum of space.
Magnification : x833 when printed 10cm wide.
Eye Of Science / Science Photo Library  

Note that invertebrates (without capital letter) don't exist anymore in the new phylogenetic classification of organisms based on observed characters or on molecular datas.  Cf wiki.

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