How To Find Water Bears

Let's do a fun science experiment! We're going to learn how to find Water Bears. Join me to learn about these awesome microscopic creatures!

Tardigrades, also known as Water Bears, are adorable microscopic animals. They look like caterpillars and walk like bears. There are over 1000 species and they can be found in almost any habitat. That's a lot of Tardigrades!

Water Bears are also known to be pretty tough. Surviving extreme heat, pressure, and radiation is a walk in the park for them. So they should be able to handle New York right? Well let’s find out!

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Credits

- Guest Starring -

- Filmed by -

- Music by -

- Special Thanks -

- Sources & Futher Reading -

[ThatVIPYouLove]

I'm gunna be scared to touch anything anymore I don't wanna hurt the cute lil waterbears aha

[WeirdCrazyShortGuy]

So they can survive the vacuum of space, but not tap water?

[rafehemmerlein]

Wow dude, that was a really high quality video! Keep up the good work!

[georgeh]

Tardigrades were one of my favorite animals as a child, the fact that they can live almost anywhere

[EyeLean]

Awesome! Love the music, and love that you showed it might take more than one try to find something. Yay for tardigrades!

[Simlife]

3:37 I thought he was about to drop bars 🤣🤣

[TheLittleBlackShadeTree]

Thank you SO much for this fun video. My kids and I have been looking for water bears for a couple weeks and no luck. We'll keep trying but your advice about not putting them in tap water was super helpful because I hadn't thought of that. Thank you!

[rmpbklyn]

can you keep water bears say in a betta tanks? without betta or anyfish. but would they stay alive if you add moss and water?

[gabrielnorris]

You mean to tell me that these things can survive in freezing temperatures, the bottom of the ocean, and the vacuum of space, but tap water will kill it instantly?

[cg]

Me: * considering buying a microscope just for the reason to have a waterbear as a pet *

[Evolartist]

Sharing with my home schooled niece as an outside adventure...thanks so much for putting this together!

[grzybjak]

Water Bears don't give 3 micro-poops.

[WobblesandBean]

I giggled at that "water burr" song at the end. You are nine kinds of adorable! And tardigrades are my FAVORITE animal!

[polarisgemini]

Hello there! Can you tell me how much magnification was used in the microscope to look at the tardigrades?

[gitarmac]

That was an awesome video. I love the enthusiasm.

[judasiscariot]

How do I know if I am paying enough for a microscope that can see things this small? I had one when I was a child but it could make lent and hair look big, that was about it and that one was 200 .usd. I just want to know if this is now a practical thing outside of having commercial equipment and what magnification I need. Thanks

[crowleythedemoncat]

I live in the desert and tardigrades are thin on the ground (or sand, in this case.) Therefore, I sent away for some for my terrarium. They seem happy here because every sample I take out has at least one and sometimes I catch them partying by the dozen. They are just so damn cute and I'm glad they are benign and hard to kill. We have a lot to learn from the little guys about the tun state.

[povilasrackauskas]

So water bears (tardigrades) can survive the vacuum of space, withstand radiation, enormous heat and cold, hibernate for as long as they want, but die if exposed to tap water?

What the hell tardigrades?

Also why does tap water kill them?

[DaveGII-iddk]

Is there a way to condense the sample? Or, is there a safe way to evaporate some of the unnecessary water in the sample to make them easier to find?

[TheRedKnight]

Are the tardigrades likely to swim out into the water you use to rehydrate the moss or are they and rotifers, nematoads, and the sort going to stay around the moss? I need to be able to count them for a project i'm doing.