Tardigrades are microscopic animals that have existed for 400 to 500 million years. Despite their tiny size of less than a millimeter in length, they're incredibly resilient.

A discovery made by a UNT faculty researcher is shedding new light on biodiversity.

Jaime Jiménez, professor of wildlife ecology in the Department of Biological Sciences, identified both previously documented and new species of tardigrades -- also known as "water bears." He made the findings during research trips to the southern rainforest of Chile, including the southernmost Isla of Navarino, supported in part by a National Science Foundation grant. Tardigrades are microscopic animals that have existed for 400 to 500 million years -- long before dinosaurs or humans.

These creatures are found almost everywhere on Earth, including the harshest environments -- like in Antarctica, in deep oceans and on the highest mountains. Because of their extreme survival abilities, tardigrades have attracted interest from scientists in wide-ranging fields and the U.S. Department of Defense has funded studies to learn more about their unique adaptations.