The XO Directory

Small as it maybe, Water Bear or Tardigrade is the world's toughest animal. It can survive extreme conditions known to man.

Water Bears can be found all over the world from the high Himalayas, to the deep sea and from the polar regions to the equator. It can grow to about 1.5 millimeters and can survive in the following extreme conditions:

- Can survive being heated for a few minutes to 151 °C or being chilled for days at –200 °C, or for a few minutes at –272 °C. (1 °C warmer than absolute zero)

- Can withstand the extremely low pressure of a vacuum and also very high pressures, many times greater than atmospheric pressure for at least 10 days. They can also withstand 6,000 atmospheres pressure, which is nearly six times the pressure of water in the deepest ocean trench.

- Can survive nearly one decade in a dry state. One report said that it survived over a period of 120 years in a dehydrated state.

- Can withstand 5,700 grays or 570,000 rads of x-ray radiation while human may die at 10-20 grays.

- Can survive the extreme environment of outer space for 10 days.

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