It’s not really giant
It’s only 1.5 mm long
This will be the shortest and the most disappointing text in our “Tardigrade Series”, but let’s see that Giant Tardigrade together
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Echiniscoides sigismundi,
Echiniscoides sigismundi is a marine Tardigrade, known to science since 1930’s and it can be found all across the world from the Coasts of Britain to Mediterranean See and China in tidal regions among barnacles (odd animals that looks like shells, but they are not shells) and algae.
This species of Tardigrades is herbivorous and they can be up to 1.5 mm in length.
This year (2024), it was shown that this species of Tardigrades can “surf” on plastics.
I don’t know about you, but for me, those look like cows and among Tardigrades, Echiniscoides sigismundi is very “chubby”.
References (I really read them in order to write 3 sentences. Life of a scientist…):
Lacerda, A.L., Frias, J. and Pedrotti, M.L., 2024. Tardigrades in the marine plastisphere: New hitchhikers surfing plastics. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 200, p.116071.
Crisp, D.J. and Hobart, J., 1954. LXVIII.—A note on the habitat of the marine tardigrade Echiniscoides sigismundi (Schultze). Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 7(79), pp.554-560.
Green, J., 1950. Habits of the marine tardigrade, Echiniscoides sigismundi. Nature, 166(4212), pp.153-154.
Clausen, L.K., Andersen, K.N., Hygum, T.L., Jørgensen, A. and Møbjerg, N., 2014. First record of cysts in the tidal tardigrade Echiniscoides sigismundi. Helgoland Marine Research, 68, pp.531-537.
Schill, R.O., Jönsson, K.I., Pfannkuchen, M. and Brümmer, F., 2011. Food of tardigrades: a case study to understand food choice, intake and digestion. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 49, pp.66-70.
Learn More About Tardigrades, Join the Challenge
After reading this curiosity fact, I hope that you like Tardigrades even more.
We have decided to make a series of posts devoted to Tardigrades:
Participate in Tardigrade Challenge, and raise awareness about them
The first project for which we will be fundraising will be focused on Tardigrades. You may donate (form down below), or you may buy anything, things that you would buy regularly and thus provide seamless donation to our Scientists.
If you liked this style of posts, and if you want to join us, consider guest blogging, online volunteering or online internship (regulations regarding internships may vary for your country).
