Researchers at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) have identified a new species of marine tardigrade which they have named after the late former President and scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Tardigrades are extremely tiny animals whose size is measured in micrometres. Their microscopic size, however, belies their toughness. They are known for their extraordinary resilience and survival instincts. Studied using microscopes, these water-dwelling animals also go by the rather unlikely moniker ‘water bears.’
The new species, discovered from Mandapam in south-east Tamil Nadu, belongs to the genus Batillipes and has been named Batillipes kalami. A paper on the discovery by Vishnudattan N.K. (research scholar) and S. Bijoy Nandan (Professor) of the Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, Cusat, and Marcus Rubal, Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, University of Minho, Portugal, has appeared in the latest issue of Zootaxa.
