Tardigrades have been found in the deep ocean.
Tardigrades ( [ ˈtɑrdᵻˌgreɪd ] also known as water bears , space bears , or moss piglets ) are water-dwelling , eight-legged , segmented micro-animals . They have been found everywhere from mountaintops to the deep sea , mud volcanoes , and from tropical rain forests to the Antarctic . They can withstand temperature ranges from 1 K ( close to absolute zero ) to about 420 K for several minutes , pressures about six times greater than those found in the deepest ocean trenches , ionizing radiation at doses hundreds of times higher than the lethal dose for a human , and the vacuum of outer space . Tardigrades can be found throughout the world , from the Himalayas ( above 6000 m ) , to the deep sea ( below 4000 m ) and from the polar regions to the equator .