Phylum - Tardigrada

Common name: Water Bears

Name derivation: “slow walker”

  • Class: Eutardigrada
  • Class: Heterotardigrada
  • Class: Mesotardigrada

Order Count: 5

Family Count: 33

Genus Count: 157

Species Count: 1,461

Earliest Fossil Record:  Late Cretaceous 100 - 66 mya

Habitat: Terrestrial, Marine, Freshwater

Size Range: 0.1 mm to 1.5 mm

Notes: Based on Catalogue of Life as of March 2025

Onychophora  Arthropoda >