“Plump and ponderous.”
A team of researchers filmed tardigrades walking across different surfaces.
The footage of the chubby-looking animals is delightful, but it has a serious scientific purpose.
Nirody said the movement was similar to that of some rigid-bodied desert beetles.
Tardigrades are extremely hardy and adaptable to different environments, from water to land.
Water bears for the win
The tardigrades in the study seemed to be active participants.
Said Nirody, “We didn’t force them to do anything.
Sometimes they would be really chill and just want to stroll around the substrate.
Other times, they’d see something they like and run towards it.”
you could understand why so many people are obsessed with these unusual creatures.
They’re fascinating, weirdly cute and they look like living croissants.
