Study
Thermotolerance experiments on active and desiccated states of Ramazzottius varieornatus emphasize that tardigrades are sensitive to high temperatures
Neves, Ricardo Cardoso; Hvidepil, Lykke K. B.; Sørensen-Hygum, Thomas L.; Stuart, Robyn M.; Møbjerg, Nadja
Scientific Reports, 2020
Tardigrades in both the active hydrated state and the desiccated tun state were exposed to a range of high temperatures for defined durations, with and without a prior gradual acclimation period, and survival scored after recovery.
- Studied in
- Ramazzottius varieornatus
- Sample size
- active and desiccated tardigrades across temperature exposures
Active tardigrades are killed by temperatures around the mid-30s Celsius, with a median lethal temperature of roughly 37°C for one-hour exposure. Brief acclimation raised tolerance only modestly. Desiccated animals tolerated substantially higher temperatures, and their tolerance also fell as exposure lengthened.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Tardigrades are sensitive to high temperatures in their active state, and the extreme tolerance associated with the group belongs to the desiccated state and is time-limited even there.
How NatureHQ reads it
The single most useful tardigrade paper for a general reader, and the one nobody reports. An active tardigrade — a tardigrade going about its life in a film of water on a piece of moss — dies at about the temperature of a warm bath. Everything spectacular about the group belongs to the tun, and even the tun has limits that get worse the longer the exposure lasts. This is not a caveat on the indestructibility story. It is the correction to it.
- One species, and tardigrade species differ considerably in tolerance.
- Laboratory exposure at constant temperature differs from natural fluctuation.
- Establishes lethal limits rather than the mechanism of heat damage.
The experiment that finds out how tough a tardigrade actually is
Can tardigrades survive boiling water — and what about a warm afternoon?
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: Nature PortfolioPublished in a Nature Portfolio journal.
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56965-z
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-11.