See the tardigrades take an adorable walk on their little stocky legs

“Plump and heavy.” Rockefeller University in New York has a pretty accurate way of describing tardigrades, the microscopic animals that can survive freezing, radiation, and even being shot from a gun. A new study doesn’t test their invincibility, but examines why and how micro-animals walk and run.

Known as the “water bear,” these charming animals have eight short legs and move around a lot like insects. “However, their stocky trail raises the question of why tardigrades evolved to walk,” the university said in a statement last week.

A team of researchers filmed tardigrades walking on different surfaces. Images of chubby animals are lovely, but they serve a serious scientific purpose. “Tardigrades have a sturdy, clear way of getting around – it’s not those awkward things that stumble in the desert or among fallen leaves,” said Jasmine Nirody, lead author of a study on tardigrade movement published in the PNAS review Tuesday.

The team found that tardigrades adjusted their gait as the substrate became softer, until they moved in a bouncy or galloping manner. Nirody shared a GIF illustrating this as part of a Twitter thread on Monday. Nirody said the movement was similar to that of some hard-bodied desert beetles.

And … they absolutely did!

As the substrate under their feet softened and gave way, the bears shifted to a * bouncing * coordination pattern (watch this guy go!) [11/n] pic.twitter.com/41ABjPV03L

– Jasmin Nirody (@jasnir_) August 30, 2021

We still wonder why these tiny, flabby creatures ended up moving around like insects so much bigger than them. Researchers have a few ideas – they may have a common ancestor, or there is an evolutionary advantage in being able to walk this way.

Tardigrades are extremely hardy and adaptable to different environments, from water to land. Understanding their movements could help advance robot locomotion, especially for microscopic robots, soft robots, and those who have to navigate narrow terrain.

The tardigrades in the study appeared to be active participants. Nirody said: “We didn’t force them to do anything. Sometimes they were really cold and just wanted to wander around the substrate. Other times they saw something they liked and ran towards it. . ”

You can understand why so many people are obsessed with these unusual creatures. They are fascinating, oddly cute, and look like living croissants.