The+Body+of+the+Tardigrade

=Tardigrades are found to grow anywhere from .05mm to 1.2 mm. They're body's are bilaterally symmetrical, cylinder-like in shape, and segmented into a head, 3 body, and a posterior section. Each segment (excluding the head) carries a pair of clawed legs for locomotion. These legs are not jointed. The head segment is only partially cephalized, and is composed of an oral cavity for ingestion and 2 stylets, which rupture cells for the Tardigrade to suck up.=

=media type="file" key="tardigrade61.wmv" width="330" height="330"= = = =Tardigrades do not have respiratory or circulatory system, as their tiny size provides no need for them. Gas exchange instead occurs through the surface of their body (the cuticle).= = = =Tardigrades generally reproduce asexually, though some do participate in sexual reproduction. Tardigrade asexual reproduction occurs through parthenogenesis. Sexually reproducing Tardigrades do so using a single gonad within their coelom. The female would lay the eggs after molting an old exoskelton into the cuticle, and then males would simultaneously fertilize them. Some species have been observed to be composed of solely females; these are assumed to rely on parthenogenesis to reproduce.= = = =Tardigrades are also notorious for being extremeophiles, and have been observed to withstand changes temperature, salinity, pressure, chemicals, and even radiation! They are able to do so through cryptobiosis, which is a reverisble state of no metabolic processes (basically dieing and then be able to revive themselves).= =A Tardigrade can stay in this state for years at a time!= = = =home=