Largest tardigrade
- Who
- Milnesium eurystomum
- What
- 2.112 millimetre(s)
- Where
- Greenland
- When
- 01 December 2020
Also known as water bears, tardigrades are microscopic eight-limbed invertebrates inhabiting moist environments. The largest tardigrade is Milnesium eurystomum, which is reported to grow to a maximum size of 2.112 mm, or 2112 μm (0.083 inches). Found primarily in Greenland, its prey includes other tardigrade species. Of all tardigrades, only those of the Milnesium genus are thought to be exclusively carnivorous.
Most tardigrade species remain microscopic throughout their lives.
(Details supplied by our consultant Łukasz Kaczmarek, Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. )