Tardigrade

Tardigrades are peaceful for the most part and found everywhere on Mars and the Earth.

Background
Ever since first found in 1773, these creatures have been known for their extreme survival skills.

In 2020, NextLife™ modified a Tardigrade so that it grew 20 times larger than normal. They named it Tardigrade-A and released it on Antarctica providing a new kind of food for the different penguin species. 6 Months later 26 Tardigrade-M eggs were placed on a rocket to Mars. These eggs were a centimeter in size and the Tardigrades would grow alongside lichen in a 500cm3 space slowly extending to the exterior to the ship and onto the Martian surface, terraforming Mars.

The experiment was a success and NextLife sent a fleet of improved Tardigrade-M eggs to different parts of Hellas Planitia. By 2035, 15% of Hellas Planitia was covered in lichen converting the CO2 to Oxygen.

Characteristics
Tardigrades have sharp dagger-like teeth in their tubular mouth that they use to catch other living organisms and algae. They usually feed on small plant cells but there are a few species that are predatory by nature and feed on other smaller animals.

Variants
The variants that can be encountered are based on your location. Different variations are more common in different regions.

Tardigrade
Normal Tardigrades, are invisible to the naked eye and completely harmless. They can grow up to 1.5 millimeters and have been around for 530 million years.

Tardigrade-A
A Tardigrade found in the Antarctic used to feed penguins. Can grow up to 10 centimeters in size.

Tardigrade-M
The Tardigrade-M is a Tardigrade-A adapted to the Martian environment. It can survive extremely low pressures and does not need a lot of oxygen to survive. Doesn't attack unless you attack first. Mostly found in Hellas Planitia.

Tardigrade-L
The Tardigrade-L is a common settlement pet on Mars. It can be milked, doesn't require much care, and can also be used for food. These animals are found in the wild around Tharsis and Hellas Planitia.

Locations
Tardigrades can be encountered anywhere on Mars, but some locations are more frequent Tardigrade hunting grounds than others. Below is a list of possible Tardigrade locations.
 * Hellas Planitia - Home of the Tardigrade-M.
 * Tharsis - Common location to find Tardigrade-L.