Tardigrades are extremely small animals with 8 legs. These little micro-beasts are also known as moss piglets or water bears. The proper name Tardigrade, meaning "slow steppers", comes from Italian biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani.
Tardigrades are known for their extreme hardiness, having been found in a huge variety of habitats across planet earth. Tardigrades have even famously been found to survive exposure to the extremes of outer space!
A fully grown tardigrade can measure just .5mm in length. Their small size and their ability to survive almost any extreme makes them exceedingly endearing, and the subject of countless pop culture references and designs, many of which are featured on the tardigrade t-shirts featured here.