This is what the poor guy looks like after going through an electron microscope. Although they can survive dehydration for 10 years, so maybe they don't mind.
Wiki has a nice article on these guys https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade They reckon: Most range from 0.3 to 0.5 mm (0.012 to 0.020 in) in length, although the largest species may reach 1.2 mm (0.047 in) ... The most convenient place to find tardigrades is on lichens and mosses. Other environments are dunes, beaches, soil, and marine or freshwater sediments, where they may occur quite frequently (up to 25,000 animals per liter). Tardigrades, in the case of Echiniscoides wyethi,[17] may be found on barnacles.[18] Often, tardigrades can be found by soaking a piece of moss in water.
If you want to see one for real you might have some luck using a regular school optical microscope
Comments
Wiki has a nice article on these guys https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade They reckon:
Most range from 0.3 to 0.5 mm (0.012 to 0.020 in) in length, although the largest species may reach 1.2 mm (0.047 in) ...
The most convenient place to find tardigrades is on lichens and mosses. Other environments are dunes, beaches, soil, and marine or freshwater sediments, where they may occur quite frequently (up to 25,000 animals per liter). Tardigrades, in the case of Echiniscoides wyethi,[17] may be found on barnacles.[18] Often, tardigrades can be found by soaking a piece of moss in water.
If you want to see one for real you might have some luck using a regular school optical microscope