Tardigrade

Description:

Tardigrades are usually about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) long when fully grown. They are short and plump, with four pairs of legs, each ending in claws (usually four to eight) or suction disks.

Habitat:

Tardigrades are prevalent in mosses and lichens. This one was found in a clump of moss in my backyard in semi-rural SW Pennsylvania.

Notes:

Tardigrades are among the most resilient animals known with individual species able to survive extreme conditions—such as exposure to outer apace