Batillipes Chandrayaani | 11 May 2024
Researchers at Cochin University of Science and Technology have named a newly discovered marine tardigrade species from the southeast coast of Tamil Nadu as Batillipes Chandrayaani, in honour of the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission.
- It was found in the sandy area between the high and low tide marks at Mandapam in Tamil Nadu.
- This tardigrade is the 39th type of tardigrade classified under the name Batillipes.
- It has a head that looks like a trapezoid and four pairs of legs with pointy spines for sensing things.
- Tardigrades:
- These tiny creatures, often called "water bears," are microscopic wonders.
- Marine tardigrades make up 17% of all tardigrade species known to us, and they inhabit every ocean.
- Tardigrades have adapted to environmental stress by undergoing a process known as cryptobiosis.
- Cryptobiosis is defined as a state in which metabolic activities come to a reversible standstill.
- Despite their small size, these micro-metazoans are incredibly resilient, surviving mass extinctions and earning recognition for their remarkable survival abilities.
