Editor’s Note: Regular readers of this column know we never pass up the chance to share a story about our beloved water bears. 🙂
For the first time, scientists have figured out how tardigrades — some of the toughest creatures on the planet — mate.
These tiny, hardy critters have few obvious differences between males and females, which made it unlikely that they found mates by sight alone. It turns out, females may release a chemical cue that lures the males, researchers found.
The males strongly responded, moving toward the females in water environments. The females didn’t seem to have the same compulsion, researchers reported in the November issue of the Journal of Experimental Biology.
“Writer Fuel” is a series of cool real-world stories that might inspire your little writer heart. Check out our Writer Fuel page on the LimFic blog for more inspiration.
