A team of researchers have studied the nearly indestructible tardigrades in order to unravel the mysteries surrounding the creature.

The researchers found that the small creature gets a huge chunk of its genome from the DNA of foreign organisms and this may reveal information about its ability to survive. The tardigrades also known as water bears, or moss piglets due to their morphology, live across the world.

The creatures are usually 0.020 inches long and they move very slowly on their eight legs. They are highly adaptable creatures can survive extreme temperatures. The creatures can be stuck in a freezer at -112 degrees Fahrenheitfor 10 years and can start moving around again about 20 minutes after thawing. These creatures have survived the most extreme environments on Earth for billions of years.

The researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studied these creatures' genome and found that 17.5 percent-- of the genome came from foreign organisms. Experts said that only one percent of their genome comes from foreign DNA for most organisms.

“Animals that can survive extreme stresses may be particularly prone to acquiring foreign genes -- and bacterial genes might be better able to withstand stresses than animal ones,” said Boothby, a postdoctoral fellow in Goldstein's lab.