Batillipes Chandrayaani: About Tardigrades:

Why in News? Researchers from the Department of Marine Biology, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) have recently discovered a new species of marine tardigrade, colloquially known as water bears — a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals.

• This microscopic creature has been named as Batillipes chandrayaani, a homage to the Chandrayaan-3, the first-ever successful lunar south pole landing mission hosted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2023.

About Batillipes Chandrayaani:

• Batillipes Chandrayaani is a new species of marine tardigrade discovered off the southeast coast of Tamil Nadu, India.
• It was named after the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission, a testament to India’s advancements in both space exploration and marine biology.

About Tardigrades:

• It is also known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals.
• They were first described by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, who called them Kleiner Wasserbär.