From the depths of the coldest Arctic ocean, to the highest Himalayan mountain peaks, through a nuclear explosion, or an entire lifetime without water, these amazing animals have adapted to survive nature’s grizzliest conditions!
Take a look!
1. The Red Flat Bark Beetle
These animals can withstand temperatures down to -238 degrees Fahrenheit!
Red Flat Bark Beetles are half-inch long Arctic natives that typically reside beneath the bark of trees.
In winter, they are capable of handling extreme cold by expelling 30-40% of their body water and retaining the rest using antifreeze proteins between their cell membranes.
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2. The Kangaroo Rat
These adaptable rodents can go their entire lives without water!
Kangaroo rats live in arid, sandy habitats and primarily feast on seeds.
They survive on account of their natural metabolism’s ability to sustain its own water during the breakdown of foodstuffs. They are nature’s ultimate water conservationists.
3. The Himalayan Jumping Spider
The highest living animal in the world!
This hardy species of spider resides at an average of 22,000 feet on the slopes of the Himalayan Mountains.
They inhabit rocky cracks and crevices and are able to propel themselves high into the air to capture and feast on insect prey blown up the mountainside by strong winds.
4. The Common Cockroach
These ‘cocky’ fellows will survive an atomic bomb!
Nuclear explosions greater than 10,000 measured rads aren’t enough to take out a cockroach, due to the slower cycling of their cells. Additionally, they can go a month without food, two weeks without water and even live a short time without their heads!
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As if that wasn’t enough, cockroaches are capable of holding their breath for longer than 30 minutes, making them one of the world’s most completely extreme animals.
5. Greenland Shark
The beast of the coldest ocean depths!
These giant sharks can survive in water temperatures of 1-12°C and have the longest known lifespan of all vertebrate species on the planet, living to an average age of more than 500 years!
Image: NOAA, Flickr
Greenland sharks reside in the deep waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean at around 3900ft.
6. Halobacterium Halobium
Can survive in the saltiest environments – 10 times more salt than seawater – and is a contender for life form on Mars!
These rod-shaped, aerobic microorganisms can be found in the Great Salt Lake, the Dead Sea, and Lake Magadi. Their cells are able to withstand excessive destruction from ultraviolet light, a primary antagonist to lifeforms on Mars.
7. Wood Frog
These animals can freeze to death – and literally come back to life!
Rana sylvatica can live up to weeks with more than two-thirds of their bodies frozen and thaw again in the spring with no negative effects.
This freeze/thaw activity can be performed several times of the course of a single winter and is due to cytoprotectants that prevent the frog’s cells from freezing solid.
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8. Pompeii Worm
Animals that can survive the hottest conditions on Earth!
These worms are extremophiles that thrive within hydrothermal vents located in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
They can resist temperatures up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit. This ability is due to a bacterial covering around their bodies that affords them a type of insulation that protects their cells, which would otherwise be destroyed by the heat.
9. Waterbear
These animals can survive the most extreme conditions on Earth – by mimicking death and coming back to life!
Tardigrades are found nearly everywhere on Earth and can survive nearly anything – freezing, lack of oxygen, radiation, lack of water, and extreme pressure changes.
Their magical adaptability is due to a process called cryptobiosis, which causes the body to mimic death during times of extreme duress.
NOTE – This article was originally published in roaring.earth and can be viewed here
