One Tough Cookie
Riddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.
Hello there!
I am a living animal.
You may not see me with your eyes,
But though I'm very, very small,
I'm a tough nut for my size.
I do not fear the arid desert,
Nor the frigid cold and snow.
I can rest comfortably in the mountains high
Or in the ocean far below.
You may find me in the cold of space
Or by a pristine, little lake.
I may have gone thirsty for 100 years,
So give me a drink, for goodness sake!
If you find me, please say "hello,"
And a new friend you can make,
For you'll find I'm not as nasty
As my more ferocious namesake.
It's been a pleasure meeting you
And telling you about me.
Now that you have all the clues,
Please tell me, what can I be?
HintI have topped the list twice on Animal Planet's "The Most Extreme".
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Answer
The only member of the Tardigrada phylum, the Tardigrade, or water bear, only reaches a maximum size of 1.5 millimeters.
These tiny wonders can survive temperatures as high as 303 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as 328 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.
They can be found in the Himalayas as high as 6000 meters and in the ocean as low as 4000 meters deep.
They can survive extreme low pressure such as the vacuum of space or the high pressure found deep below the ocean.
They can go without water for over 100 years and can be reawakened with just a little water.
They can be found all over the world from the arctic to the equator.
Obviously, water "bears" are not as vicious as other bears.
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Comments
calmsavior   
Aug 13, 2007
| Space huh? Despite being able to survive low or high pressure, I doubt you can actually "find" one up in space, as the teaser suggests. |
Mon05 
Aug 13, 2007
| very hard but very informative teaser  |
JCZ07
Aug 13, 2007
| Infromative, but hard. But it's still a nice teaser. |
Madelulabelle
Aug 13, 2007
| Okay, I seriously doubt that anyone actually got this one right, but it was a well written riddle. |
Hrsemn4
Aug 13, 2007
| Thank you to everyone so far who has complimented my teaser. I know it's difficult, I like to learn new things everyday, so I make my teasers to reflect that fact. I hope you can still enjoy it even though it's hard!! I don't think it would be any fun if I knew all the answers all the time, would it? Thanks again all, you guys make Braingle a lot of fun!! |
nikitafullmoon
Aug 13, 2007
| I just learned about tardigrades the other day at our local museum! How weird is that? |
nikitafullmoon
Aug 13, 2007
| I just learned about tardigrades the other day at our local museum! How weird is that? |
(user deleted)
Aug 13, 2007
| i doubt many people know that as a common day fact, thanks =D |
tuckpaw
Aug 13, 2007
| according to one science show they can survive the vacuum of space and have been taken there for testing in the shuttle i watch too many science shows |
deepsea
Aug 14, 2007
| got it easily, mostly because i did a science project on'em
Nicely written |
luckypuppy
Aug 15, 2007
| Interesting, but impossible to guess unless you have heard about the little guys before |
CatatKHOP
Aug 15, 2007
| I thought it was a tick
or a yellow banana slug  |
Sweetooth49
Aug 15, 2007
| Wow. I was reading the answer, and I had no idea what it was. Well written, but impossible. And what does that have to do with a cookie? |
King_of_Smart
Aug 17, 2007
| This one was really easy, but really fun! |
saltydavid
Aug 17, 2007
| I had no idea. |
fairydust
Aug 17, 2007
| what's a 'water bear', anyway? |
raejg
Aug 23, 2007
| whoa..way over my head  |
_fire_fly
Sep 08, 2007
| yay i got it right!!! i remembered seeing it on The Most Extreme and got it pretty quickly. great teaser though, very well thought out!!! |
bookworm91
Oct 28, 2007
| Nice! I've heard of waterbears, but I didn't get it. Great teaser!  |
ThinksForFun
Oct 05, 2012
| Very good riddle and poem! I can see the effort you put into it! |
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