Bear Animalcula

Bear Animalcula. These form the order Tardigrada, a division of the Arachnida. They are minute lice-like animals, creeping by four pairs of short stumpy legs. The points of structure which separate them from other Arachnida are the fact that they are hermaphrodite, i.e. there is no division of sexes, the possession of a suctorial mouth, and the absence of heart and respiratory organs. They live in moss and in puddles in house gutters, etc.; they can survive for a long period in a dry state, and recover their activity when moistened. They are also known as the "sloth animalcules"; they have, however, no connection with the true "animalculae."