Tardigrande

• Name: Tardigrande
• Pronunciation: [tar-dih-grahn-day]
• Species description: Milnesium atlas
• Biological basis: Tardigrade
• Category: Prehistoric
• Diet: Pantovorous
• Size: 60 feet tall
• Location: Mariana Trench, Pacific Ocean, Earth

A Seed of Creation had lodged itself deeply within a part of land that would eventually become Antarctica millions of years ago. The great amniotic fluid had nowhere to escape to, and - thus-  it collected and marinated beneath the earth, its only host a series of tardigrades that had become trapped within. On account of their highly resistant nature, the micro-animals flourished and evolved. They grew stronger, more resistant, and larger in size over millions of years, the shifting climate keeping them in stasis. As they grew, one began to eat the others until it was all that remained. The giant tardigrade was discovered when Majestic 12 began exploring Antarctica after World War II in their effort to find and study kaiju.  President Lyndon B. Johnson took the discovery very seriously, fearing their technology would fail to keep the creature contained in the event of a serious environmental shift.  His concerns about climate change were met with skepticism from his cabinet, but - nevertheless - the United States government began to reform its approach to environmental conservation. On the private side, President Johnson ordered Majestic 12 to make the kaiju's containment facility airtight and colder than the ice around it.  Strategies consisted of pumping liquid nitrogen to keep it sedated. What little amniotic fluid they could reasonably remove and keep the kaiju sedated was sent overseas for study.  It remained contained and isolated until the 21st Century when an ecofascist terrorist group assaulted the facility, inadvertently freeing the creature and setting it loose upon the world.

Tardigrande is one of the most unusual looking kaiju. The top of its body is covered in compact scales like that of a pangolin, a strange tail fixture, hair-like filaments jutting through openings in the scales, and three strange worm-like probosci that jut from its mouth. It also appears to have no visible eyes, making its appearance even more alien.

The giant tardigrade is fairly mobile despite its appearance. Its lack of a skeletal structure and complex musculature allow it to climb and move over even the toughest terrain. What's more is that it can curl up into a ball and roll into its enemies, tackling them. The edges of the scales are incredibly sharp. The probosci can deliver nasty bites but are rarely used for combat or restraint but rather cleanup. Tardigrande is much more simplistic in its approach to combat, with tackles and lacking special abilities.  Like all other kaiju, Tardigrande also possesses an advanced healing factor, able to heal broken and damaged body parts that would be unsalvagable for normal animals. The massive scaly hide allows it to shrug off conventional human artillery and stand up to more unconventional mecha weaponry. Its regenerative healing abilities plus the advanced amniotic-addled DNA - combined with the general resistance of being a tardigrade - has made Tardigrande immortal, only killable via starvation or another kaiju.

It is a rather apathetic creature, living on its own and regarding little around it. Conventional human weapons hardly phase it, and it merely seems to wander without any real goal. Cities are destroyed simply for just being in its way rather than out of aggression. Even around other kaiju, it seems to care little, often staying out of their way or even ignoring them. Only when it is attacked will it spring into action and quickly revert back to a calmed state once the crisis is over. Though it can adjust to any environment accordingly, Tardigrande has nestled itself at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, seemingly showing a preference for the cold, dark, and desolate.

While it leaves massive destruction in its wake when provoked, its influence on the environment is profound. Its feces is high in protein - both natural and amniotic-addled - and benign nuclear isotopes that - after being absorbed by the soil and filtered into the water - cause immense population booms in the flora and fauna inhabiting its region. Flowering plants and trees will grow wildly, and animals experience high birth rates. Environments in its wake are considered to be some of the cleanest and most immaculate places. Tardigrande eats anything in its way when hunger strikes regardless of quality - plant, animal, machine, waste. Entire landfills are cleaned and spotless after it finishes. Cities are stripped of most debris after battles or rampages. However, it does not discriminate between organic and inorganic material, having been known to even eat unfortunate humans in its way. Despite the boom of animal and plant populations, Tardigrande helps maintain a balance by eating available resources. Smaller, normal water bears flourish in its wake and help keep the environment clean. Because of its indiscriminate appetite, it has been pivotal in cleaning  up pollution and litter left in the ocean. The Great Pacific Ocean Patch  no longer exists thanks to its efforts.

The discovery of Tardigrande was one of the key linchpins in pushing the United States towards environmentalism. President Johnson cited its presence in private papers as one of many motivators in fighting against rapid climate change, believing that keeping an orderly and clean world would keep kaiju and cryptids content and at bay.  This was a sentiment shared by President Richard M. Nixon who pushed for even more environmental reforms and protections. Classified Nixon tapes revealed he had a sort of obsession with the kaiju, checking up with Majestic 12 almost weekly on its status at the Antarctic facility. The redacted tapes showed he had some sort of intense fear of Tardigrande, feeling it to be a greater threat than any other kaiju out there because of how resilient regular tardigrades were. The name "Tardigrande" was a portmanteau created by a Latino secretary as a placeholder and inside joke within classified Majestic 12 documents to the White House, but the name ultimately stuck and became the official label for the kaiju.

Art by Marcel Rocha.