Side view of Paradoryphoribius chronocaribbeus Ninon Robin, Harvard/NJIT
In 16-million-year old Dominican amber, a new species of tardigrade microscopic animal was discovered that looks like a cross between a bear and a pig.
The hardiness of Tardigrades, also known as water bears and moss piglets, is well-known. Some were placed in orbit in 2007 and survived the vacuum of space.
Although Molecular research suggests that tardigrades evolved around 500 million years ago from their micro-sized size and their tendency to rapidly decay after their deaths, it is difficult to find fossils of them.
