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Tardigrades and rotifers – translucent survivors

Tardigrade (left) and bdelloid rotifer (right) Translucent invertebrates viewed under a light microscope.

Tardigrade (left) and bdelloid rotifer (right) are tiny invertebrate species that use anhydrobiosis – a physiological adaptation – to survive the extremes of life in Antarctica.

Tardigrade micrograph by Philippe Garcelon, CC BY 2.0, and rotifer micrograph by Rkitco, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
Published: 22 October 2025Size: 8.56 MB
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