A tardigrade from the vending machine?

From time to time, but on a regular basis we get e-mail requests sounding like this:

"I am in urgent need for a batch of live tardigrades for my (highly intelligent) kid - please tell me where to buy them!

We would like to comment here: in this case we do recommend a pathway far away from nature! And in fact we found the appropriate objects. One of our international sympathizers travelled to Japan and returned with a tardigrade from the vending machine:

Fig. 1: A wall of toy vending machines in the city of Osaka, Japan

Fig. 2: When looking closer at one of those many slot machines you will perceive a dedicated tardigrade dispenser.

Fig. 3: In return to a modest fee you will receive a big red bowl ...

When looking at the bowl you will become aware that this is by no means a complete tardigrade but instead a tardigrade in statu nascendi - a tardigrade construction set! Besides this is fully appropriate for the egg-style container.
So we proceeded with flashing eyes and poured the contents on a table:

Fig. 4: The contents of the red bowl - what do you think? Can't be tremendously complicated?

And in case of doubt we do have a manual.

Fig. 5: The tardigrade construction manual, amply illustrated and with plenty of (japanese) text.

Well, possibly some of you might not be able to remember the content of their schooltime lections in Japanese. But nowadays you can translate the text automatically, e.g. by means of "Google Lens^TM"! On this basis we can find out that the two big characters on the right bottom side of the page are signaling a "Finished" - and the closely following exclamation mark doesn't need any further translation effort.

Honestly, the montage turned out to be a little bit tricky, in particular to the stiffness of the resin components. But after some pain in the fingers a complete tardigrade model stood on our table. It is 10 cm long, has movable legs and a flexible backside. The weight is 75 grams, quite a lot for a tardigrade.

Fig. 6: This is our tardigrade, as seen from the side ...

Fig. 7: ... and in 'belly view'

We shouldn't be too pedantic about the exact species. Overall it has some resemblence to a Macrobiotus sp. tardigrade, one which might have fallen into a pot of red paint.

But perhaps we might try an alternative pathway as well? Just by peeking out of the house door and collecting a moss sample outside. Believe us - it is not that much difficult ;-)

© Text, images and video clips by  Martin Mach  (webmaster@baertierchen.de).
The Water Bear web base is a licensed and revised version of the German language monthly magazine  Bärtierchen-Journal . Style and grammar amendments by native speakers are warmly welcomed.

Main Page