84/150: Tardigrades – You Can’t Kill Me!

Animalia: Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Apochela: Milnesiidae

Tardigrades are known by a variety of names such as water bears, space bears and my personal favorite, moss piglets! These organisms are microscopic in size reaching a full length of 0.5mm when fully grown with eight stubby legs protruding from the body. They are resilient little creatures that live in a multitude of harsh environments from the deep trenches of the ocean to the vastness of space. They mainly feed on various types of moss and algae but have been known to munch on tiny invertebrates as well. These little guys are notorious for being “unkillable”. When under extreme stress they can undergo cryptobiosis where their metabolism slows down to a fraction of the usual (<0.01% of normal!) and then use a damage suppressor protein to protect their DNA from radiation as well as extreme hot and cold temperatures. They can survive 1000 times more radiation, 1200 times standard atmospheric pressure, 10 years of dehydration, environmental toxins and the conditions of space! #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID: MYMCE448-12

nucleotide sequence

——-TATTTTATTTTTGGTATTTGATGTGCTTTTGTTGGGTCAGCTTTAAGAATGTTAATTCGACTTGAGCTTTCTCAGCCTAATACAATATTAATAAGTGAAGACATTTATAATGCGTTTATTACTAGTCATGCTTTAGTAATAATTTTTTTTTTTGTTATACCGGTTTTAATTGGAGGATTTGGAAATTGATTAGTACCTTTAATAATTAGTTCTCCTGACATAGCTTTTCCTCGTATTAACAATGTAAGATTTTGAATATTGGTAGCTTCTTTTATGCTATTGGTTTATAGAATATTTTGTGGTGAAGGGGTGGGGGCTGGTTGAACTCTTTATCCTCCCCTAACTAATATTTATGGGCATAGAAGAACTGCTGTGGATTATGCTATTTTATCTTTACATGTTGCTGGTGCATCTTCTATTTTTAGTGCTATGAATTTTTTGACAACTATTTTTAATATACATTATTTTGGAGTACGAATAGACAAACTTCCTTTGTTTGTATGGTCTATTTTTATTACAGCTTTATTGTTAGTATTAGCTTTACCTGTTTTAGCTGGGGCTATTACAATG———————————————————————————

amino acid sequence

YFIFGIWCAFVGSALSMLIRLELSQPNTMLMSEDIYNAFITSHALVMIFFFVMPVLIGGFGNWLVPLMISSPDMAFPRINNVSFWMLVASFMLLVYSMFCGEGVGAGWTLYPPLTNIYGHSSTAVDYAILSLHVAGASSIFSAMNFLTTIFNMHYFGVRMDKLPLFVWSIFITALLLVLALPVLAGAITM—————————

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:ABV1903