tardigradenoun [ C ]
/ˈtɑː.dɪ.ɡreɪd//ˈtɑːr.dɪ.ɡreɪd/also water bear, /ˈwɔː.tə ˌbeər//ˈwɑː.t̬ɚ ˌber/specializeda type of very small creature with eight legs that lives in water:
Tardigrades are tiny creatures, about the size of a pencil dot, and look much like caterpillars, with four pairs of legs ending in claws, and five body segments.
More examples
- He became fascinated with tiny eight-legged organisms called tardigrades, which can live in moss for more than a century.
- Some of the humblest-seeming animals are also the longest-lived, like the tardigrade, or water bear.
- Being able to withstand desiccation, starvation and extremes of temperature, has contributed towards the success of the tardigrades, which live in habitats from damp moss to flowering plants, sand, freshwater and the ocean.
- Tardigrades have a unique metabolism that allows them to enter a state of suspended animation.