New species of tardigrade named Macrobiotus naginae was discovered by researchers at Finland’s Rokua National Park.
What are tardigrades?
Tardigrades are tiny and highly resilient creatures that are capable of withstanding a variety of threats, including those that are capable of wiping out the majority of known species. Various species of tardigrades are found across diverse terrains, from mountains to oceans to ice sheets. Due to their adaptability, opportunities exist outside tardigrades’ natural habitats.
While tardigrades generally require water, they are also capable of enduring prolonged dry spells, making them highly adaptable to desert regions. During dry weather, tardigrades enter into the state of anhydrobiosis – the process in which an organism becomes dry and dormant until favorable environmental conditions return.
During anhydrobiosis, tardigrades expel their body’s water and become a dry and nearly unbreakable speck called a tun. The tardigrade can remain as a tun for years or even decades. It will revive rapidly in the presence of water. The tun state can shield tardigrades from a variety of threats like high temperature, little to no oxygen levels, X-ray bombardment, gunfire and space vacuum. This will help tardigrades survive in foreign terrains when wind sweeps them away from the natural habitats.
About the new species
- The new species was named Macrobiotus naginae, after Nagini – the fictional snake character from Harry Potter books.
- It was found at the Rokua National Park in Finland’s North Ostrobothnia region.
- It was found to subsist in a dune woodland on lichen and moss. This habitat is currently threatened because of human activities.
- The new species is the fifth known member of the Macrobiotus pseudohufelandi complex, a small group of tardigrades having smaller legs and claws for living underground.
- They developed smaller limbs to effectively crawl through sand or soil.
About Rokua National Park
The Rokua National Park is a UNESCO global geopark in Finland. It is one of Finland’s oldest national parks. It was established in 1956 to protect the natural-state of lichen heaths and the unique geological features of the region.