Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Finding Tardigrades
• Method 2 of 3: Create a tardigrade home
• Method 3 of 3: Caring for tardigrades
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Water bears are the colloquial name for tiny multicellular creatures that have always fascinated microscopists. Scientifically, they are called tardigrades, and thanks to their four pairs of squat legs and a slow awkward gait, they really look like microscopic bears (eight-legged microscopic bears, to be more precise). Tardigrades are more ubiquitous than humans, so almost any handful of water can contain several of them. However, the easiest way to find and take care of them is to look into pieces of wet moss.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Finding Tardigrades

1. 1 Learn more about tardigrades. Despite their size, these creatures are extremely interesting to watch! Tardigrades, or water bears, are some of the most amazing animals on Earth, and they live among moss and ferns. Tardigrades are able to survive:
   • Low temperatures down to -200 ° C and high temperatures no higher than 151 ° C
   • Freezing in a block of ice
   • Lack of oxygen for days, maybe even months
   • Lack of water for decades
   • X-ray radiation levels 1000 times the lethal dose for humans
   • Most harmful chemicals
   • Boiling alcohol
   • Low pressure in vacuum (like in outer space)
   • Extreme pressure, six times that of the deepest part of the ocean
2. 2 Tardigrades live in humid environments. Most tardigrades live in water, but they are easiest to find in wet moss, lichen, or fallen leaves. Look in the woods, near ponds, and even in your backyard. Pay special attention to damp areas where tardigrades are most active. If nothing like this can be found, take a sample of a dry habitat, as it may contain tardigrades in a state of extreme hibernation (cryptobiosis), waiting for water to bring them back to life.
3. 3 Take a sample of moss or lichen with tweezers. Place the sample in a paper bag or envelope to dry slightly. A plastic bag will keep the water from escaping and will lead to mold growth, which will block the animals from your view.
   • Take samples of several types of moss, lichen, or leaf litter to see which habitat is more popular with tardigrades.
   • Tardigrades are more likely to live in soft lichens than hard and hard ones. Water bears can even be found in the powdery mildew that covers the rocks and brick walls.

Method 2 of 3: Create a tardigrade home

1. 1 Place the samples in a Petri dish. It is enough that there is only a tiny pinch of material in each Petri dish. If you do not have a Petri dish, use a small clear plastic container. Blister packs for storing pills are perfect.
2. 2 Soak moss or lichen completely. Fill a Petri dish with water, preferably distilled or rainwater, about one centimeter high. Leave the plant to soak for anywhere from 8 to 24 hours to awaken the water bears.
3. 3 Squeeze the water out of the moss into another petri dish. Squeezing or shaking the residence will transport these microscopic creatures into the water.
4. 4 Find a low power microscope. Most tardigrades are between a quarter and half a millimeter long. This is almost within the limits of human vision, somewhere a little less than a point. To see them, you need a microscope with approximately 15x or 30x magnification. If you don't have one, look online for a cheap stereo microscope.
5. 5 Find the tardigrade. Place the microscope over the Petri dish and look through it at the moss. Sometimes they are easier to spot if you shine a powerful flashlight through the side of the Petri dish. This will highlight tardigrades and other creatures in white.Look for an animal with four pairs of short legs that slowly swings them around to move its shapeless body. The last pair of legs is turned back and it is very easy to mistake it for the tail or the edge of the body.
   • If there is a water bear there, then you are in luck. Pour the water back onto the moss that will become its home.
   • Otherwise, change the water and try again on another piece of moss until your search is successful.

Method 3 of 3: Caring for tardigrades

1. 1 Feed the tardigrades. Aquatic bears feed on juices from moss, algae, and lichens. Add some vegetation once a month, or replace leftovers if they start to grow moldy or rot.
   • Water bears also eat nematodes - small worms - as well as rotifers and tiny plankton. Try to find soft, moist moss for aquatic bears, which most likely contains their food.
   • Some tardigrades live in fresh water, others in salt water. Use only the water and plants from which the tardigrades were collected.
2. 2 When the water in the petri dish is dry, replace it. Tardigrades are generally able to survive in dry environments, but it's best not to risk it. Treat your water bears well and keep them moist.
   • When dry, tardigrades decrease in size and become completely immobile. In this state, they are quite difficult to distinguish, but add water and you can see them again.
3. 3 Enjoy caring for tardigrades. They won't mind if you look at them from time to time under a microscope. You might be lucky enough to see them shed their tough outer skin, lay eggs, or hatch.

Tips

• If you notice any color on your tardigrades, then you are looking at their stomachs! Since tardigrades are translucent, it is possible to see the color of the food they have recently eaten.
• Look at the moss under a microscope to see if there are nematodes that will feed your water bears.
• When you soak the moss, don't leave all the water inside and drain a little.
• Note that some tardigrades will feed on other tardigrades.
• Although tardigrades are some of the most resilient organisms on Earth, you should not intentionally expose them to radiation, extreme temperatures, or any extreme conditions at all. They, of course, will survive it, but they will obviously not become healthier.
• Tardigrades can often be found in sandy sediments. This species prefers salt water, so if you keep them as pets, scoop up water from the ocean.
• In total, there are about 1000 different types of tardigrades, which have even been assigned their own type. By comparison, humans are Chordates, along with every mammal, bird, fish, amphibian, and reptile, as well as ascidians and many other curiosities!

Warnings

• While you are looking for tardigrades, be sure to be mindful of the environment. Don't disturb the animals and leave everything intact.

What do you need

• Tweezers
• Paper bag
• Petri dish
• Wet moss, lichen, or fallen leaves
• Rain or distilled water
• Microscope
• Torch
• Tardigrades