---
type: Concept
title: Cryptobiosis
description: A dormant metabolic state that lets an organism endure extreme environmental
  stress; when driven specifically by the loss of water, it is called anhydrobiosis.
aliases:
- anhydrobiosis
tags:
- biology
- extremophile
- dormancy
resource: raw/feature-article.pdf
timestamp: '2026-07-16T15:09:32Z'
citadel_version: 0.3.0
---

Cryptobiosis is a dormant state that lets an organism endure extreme environmental stress, such as near-total desiccation.[^s1] When the state is driven specifically by the loss of water, biologists call it anhydrobiosis.[^s1] [Tardigrades](../objects/tardigrade.md) are a well-documented example, entering cryptobiosis to survive drying out.[^s1]

## See also
- [Tardigrade](../objects/tardigrade.md)

## Sources
[^s1]: [raw/feature-article.pdf](../../raw/feature-article.pdf), p. 1 — cryptobiosis defined and distinguished from anhydrobiosis, tardigrades as the example (ingested 2026-07-16)
