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"If the US had an army of water bears, we would always win." - my 13 year old son.
He prevails. He can live ten years without food or water, and that's just the first of many astounding facts about the water bear.
You don't believe me? Look up the facts.
It can live in hot springs.
It can live on top of Mount Everest.
It can live inside of ice.
It can be found inside a rock. But they prefer moisture.
You can find them in a box, you can find them in a car, you can find them here or there, you can find them anywhere.
But what else is about them, you ask?
The water bear/tardigrade/moss piglet can live in water, rocks, space, ice, space, in the beginning in the past in the future. Wherever he damn well wants.
When he is dormant, his metabolism is .01 percent and he can withstand 304F and -328F. degrees.
Mmmhmmm.
And for a few minutes, water bears can survive close to absolute zero (which is not zero degrees HA!)
Water bears can withstand being in a vacuum (not like a Dyson, HUGE difference, google it) As an example, humans can't exist in a vacuum - if we did we would explode. This is why astronauts wear space suits to keep their insides inside.
Water bears can survive 1,200 atmospheres (WHUT) An atmosphere how much pressure we have on earth from our air. They can be broken into a thousand pieces and rehydrate themselves together again better than the patched up tire on your college bike.
Is this refusal to perish enough to love him? Because there's even more facts. Or you can forget about all that and just look at the pictures!
The water bear is 1.5 mm and that's the biggest one. The smallest one is 0.1 mm. This is very very small, like sand.
via GIPHY
Oh the water bear with his teeny tiny hands!! and his elephant trunk nozzle out front!
Water hands, chubby legs like a baby, a little Michelin man Sumo wrestler. Just when you think all that will make you lose your mind, you find out that when he gets cold his body gives him a little coat, complete with his own little hood!
Amazing.
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*This post just about rings out NaBloPoMo : 30 days of blogging. It's a perfect example of the freedom one has when you know you have 30 days of blogging in a space that is all yours.
NaBloPoMo is a celebration, really, of how lucky we are to be online and be able to write whatever we freakin' want. I'm a water bear of blogging, baby.
Um, despite all of the awesome that is the water bear...it kind of creeps me out a bit!
ReplyDeleteHe is incredible. She is incredible.
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