When you put a tardigrade under a microscope, you never know what you’re going to get. These weird-looking ‘water bears’ are some of the strangest creatures on the planet, and they are constantly surprising us. Even once you see them with your own eyes, it can be hard to figure out what the heck is going on.
Biologist Rafael Martín-Ledo has been studying marine microfauna such as tardigrades for years, and recently, on a mossy bank of the Saja river in northern Spain, he collected one that looks even stranger than the rest.
Using phase contrast microscopy, which highlights changes in brightness and tiny structures, Martín-Ledo has revealed a squirming water bear with a stomach full of glittering lights.
The biologist and school teacher posted a short yet mesmerising video of the scene on Twitter this week, with the caption: “Guess what I’ve got in my tummy?”
Like most tardigrade things , nobody knows what is going on here. For now, it’s […]
Full article: A Bizarre Tardigrade Was Found With a Belly Full of Strange, Glittery Material
More about tardigrades, AKA “water bears”:
Ancient, near-indestructible ‘water bears’ have crash landed on the moon
New species of ‘water bears’ discovered in parking lot — tardigrades
The Secret of the Crazy-Tough Water Bear, Finally Revealed
