Can you believe that is not a fictional creature; it is an extremely small animal known as ‘tardigrade’ that lives on Earth. In this particular photo, the tardigrade is one millimeter long and is crawling on moss.

Fun facts: tardigrades can survive for 10 years or more without food and water; can survive in extreme environments: below freezing and above boiling temperatures, under extreme pressures greater than that of the deepest points in the ocean, and can live in outer space; and can withstand solar, gamma, and ionic radiation.

…Yeah, I’m not convinced these things aren’t aliens.

[via NASA, Wikipedia, image credit: Nicole Ottawa and Oliver Meckes]