#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Microscopic invertebrates called tardigrades were discovered for the first time on Franz Josef Land (FJL), said Alexander Kirilov, director of the Russian Arctic national park. Tardigrades were seen in a soil sample from Alexandra Land island.
“This year, during a comprehensive expedition to the archipelago, we had microbiologists from the Russian Technical University with us; they were studying the bacteriological population of Franz Josef Land. And in the samples they took, microscopic animals were found, up to about one millimeter, they are called water bears, or tardigrades. They were discovered for the first time on FJL; under a microscope, a slowly walking tardigrade was seen in a soil sample”, Kirilov said.
Tardigrades are invertebrates that live in fresh water, as well as in wet mosses and lichens. They are highly resistant to extreme environmental conditions. Invertebrates survive in a vacuum, boiling water, at temperatures below minus 250 degrees. In addition, it is known that tardigrades return to life after almost complete dehydration and exposure to radiation, TASS writes.
Tardigrades were previously discovered in Antarctica. In 2020, researchers found them on Spitsbergen.
Scientists continue to study tardigrades from Franz Josef Land. Now it is necessary to determine their affiliation; researchers do not rule out that this may be a new species of these creatures.
Earlier, This Is Taimyr reported that a scientific expedition was studying the bioresources of the Russian Arctic.
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Text: Polina Bardik, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
