How to find a tardigrade at home under the microscope

“You guys know about tardigrades? They are these microscopic creatures that look like robot bears. They can survive in space. They’re everywhere. There’s a lot of little things in real life that are just as cool as fake stuff.” – Abed Nadir, Community

Tardigrades, also known as water bears or moss piglets, are adorable microscopic creatures. And anyone with a microscope can find one. You don’t even need a complicated microscope to do this. So, if you’ve always wanted to see a tardigrade with your own eyes, follow along, and I’ll show you how.

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When I first got my home microscope, I put off finding a tardigrade because I felt like, well, everyone has already done this — I need to find something else. I looked at kombucha (see a photo in this post), sauerkraut, stuff in the sink, water from a puddle, all kinds of stuff.

But then, I got the itch. It was time for a tardigrade. So, I found some moss, soaked it in water, looked for a tardigrade, and found one, actually several. And let me tell you, finding your first tardigrade IS a big deal. It is so so exciting.

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So, now I want everyone to have that experience…that feeling of finding something that cute hidden in the microscopic world. It doesn’t matter how many other people have already done it. When you find your first one, it’s really special.

EVERYONE SHOULD EXPERIENCE FINDING THEIR FIRST TARDIGRADE.

You can see the video I took when I found my first tardigrade here…

Major microscopy moment: I found my first tardigrade! pic.twitter.com/3gILbycI5D

— Justine Dees, PhD (@justineldees) June 27, 2020

So, if you are a science lover interested in microbes and want a fun activity to do at home, I’m here to help. I want you to see a tardigrade with your own eyes — most likely one that will come from your own backyard (or front yard). I’ll help you even if you have trouble finding one in the wild. I want you to have that personal experience.

This post will first provide some background about tardigrades and then show you how to find one.

This post contains affiliate links — see my disclosure policy.

Background information about tardigrades

**Tardigrades from a moss sample. Photos by Justine Dees.**

Here are a few tardigrade facts to get you in the mood to find one:

Tardigrades, water bears, or moss piglets are multicellular microscopic invertebrates, meaning they have no backbone. Other invertebrates include mites, spiders, worms, and jellyfish.
Over 1100 species have been discovered so far.
They live on all of the world’s continents at high and low elevations in water or on moss and lichen.
They eat the stuff inside plant and animal cells as well as bacteria.
They are super tough creatures that can survive harsh conditions that would typically harm or kill most other organisms, including very cold, hot, and dry environments as well as space.
Some people claim they are immortal, but this isn’t true. Their normal lifespan is around 2.5 years. But when they are in their protected form, they go into hibernation and survive for decades.

How to find a tardigrade under the microscope

Tools

Small container for soaking moss
Transfer pipette (or eye/medicine dropper)
Microscope
Microscope slide
Microscope cover slip

Moss Sample

Go outside and search for some moss. Most likely, this will not be too difficult to find. Take a small sample of moss and soak it in a small amount of water for about an hour or longer if you’d like. Then, with a transfer pipette (or an eye dropper or medicine dropper), draw a small volume from the bottom of the container (without disturbing the liquid) to make the wet mount. It’s that simple!

Microscopy

The microscope I have is a Swift SW380B. You can learn about it here and about other home microscopes here.

Swift SW380B microscope — **The microscope I use and recommend, the** **Swift SW380B. Photo by Justine Dees.**

To see tardigrades under the microscope, take your wet mount, and search for them, starting with the lowest power. You should be able to see one even at 40X total magnification. Take your time. Sometimes they are not very obvious and may not be moving right away because they are still “waking up” from their hibernation state.

**Tardigrade under microscope, 100X total magnification. Photo by Justine Dees.**

Tardigrades are not always easy to find

Don’t be surprised if you have a little trouble finding a tardigrade. You are not alone. I’ve had days where I couldn’t find any from different moss samples. Don’t get discouraged — keep looking in different locations. Sometimes it takes some persistence.

But if you’ve tried and tried and are feeling frustrated about it and want to see a stinking tardigrade already (or your kid is super excited and can’t wait, or it’s a time-sensitive project for school), I’ve got a solution for you. You can purchase them from Carolina Biological.

Get yourself a plush tardigrade!

When you find a tardigrade, you may want to mark the occasion. So, buy yourself a fuzzy, stuffed tardigrade. You deserve it. You can get one here.

Purple stuffed fuzzy tardigrade — **My stuffed tardigrade from the Harvard Museum of Natural History.**

Summary

Everybody loves tardigrades. They are cute. It’s undeniable. And they are found just outside in water or on moss and lichen. Anyone can see a tardigrade with their own eyes, given you have a few supplies on hand. So go find one!

If you find a tardigrade, tag me on Twitter or Instagram!

Other tardigrade and microscope resources

SWIFT SW380B 40X-2500X Magnification, Siedentopf Head, Research-Grade Binocular Compound Lab Microscope with Wide-Field 10X and 25X Eyepieces, Mechanical Stage, Ultra-Precise Focusing

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Swift SW380T 40X-2500X Magnification, Siedentopf Head, Research-Grade Trinocular Microscope Compound Lab with Wide-Field 10X/25X Eyepieces, Mechanical Stage, Ultra-Precise Focusing, Camera-Compatible