Water bear is a 3-star creature card from the Space Age. Water bears (tardigrades) can survive drying out, freezing and even open space.
Bonus by grade
| Grade | Copies needed | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 0 | +8% soldier HP |
| Uncommon | 2 | +14.4% soldier HP |
| Rare | 5 | +24% soldier HP |
| Epic | 10 | +36% soldier HP |
| Legendary | 20 | +56% soldier HP |
Duplicates raise the grade: Uncommon at 2, Rare at 5, Epic at 10, Legendary at 20.
Codex
- Common: Tardigrades are tiny animals, usually under 1 mm long.
- Uncommon: They have eight stubby legs with claws.
- Rare: When dry, they curl into a 'tun' and almost stop living.
- Epic: In 2007, tardigrades survived 12 days exposed to space on the Foton-M3 mission.
- Legendary: They live in moss, soil and oceans worldwide.
Field notes are reviewed regularly. Spot something wrong? Tell us.
Field guide
| Size | Mostly about 1 mm or less |
| Nest | Damp moss, soil, sand, freshwater and seawater |
| Diet | Mostly plant cells pierced and sucked out; a few are predators |
| Defence | Dries into a tough 'tun' with metabolism slowed to about 0.01% of normal |
| Active | Not well known |
| Lifespan | Not well known; the dried tun state can last years, possibly decades |
| Where it lives | Worldwide; wind and water can carry dried ones to new places |
Did you know?
- More than 1,100 species are known.
- Wind and water can carry dried tardigrades to new homes.
- Dried tardigrades can survive very cold and very dry conditions.
Sources: britannica.com