Buzz
The peculiar trait of these creatures is that the hotter the weather, the better they flourish.
Many species evolve to adapt to harsh weather conditions.
In the southern part of Baja California - a state in Mexico, summers are often scorching hot, with temperatures rising to nearly 38°C. However, even in this harsh environment, tiny creatures known as Copepods still thrive. This crustacean species can thrive in places with temperatures up to 7°C higher than the northern regions of Baja California. Copepods are among the clever organisms capable of managing heat efficiently to survive in the harsh blazing environment.
According to Martha Muñoz, a biology professor at Yale University (USA), species are evolving to survive on our increasingly warming planet. For example, horned lizards in Mexico have increased their developmental heat threshold by nearly 1°C after enduring heatwaves. Through numerous studies, her research team found that the smaller, more common, and less complex creatures are more adaptable to rapid changes. They coined this evolutionary phenomenon: The Bogert Effect.
The reason they can evolve so easily is due to 2 factors.
Firstly, larger populations generally offer a wider range of genetic variations.
Secondly, various types of bacteria can reproduce up to 6 times per day, resulting in numerous evolutionary cycles. Meanwhile, it takes blue whales up to 15 years to reproduce.
Surprisingly, in the animal kingdom, there are still many species that can live in dry conditions and temperatures as high as 100°C. Let's find out which animals they are!
The Top 5 Most Heat-Resistant Creatures on Earth
1. African Wild Ass
The African Wild Ass is a wild member of the horse family. It's considered the ancestor of domestic donkeys and is often classified as the same species. These animals typically inhabit deserts and arid regions of Africa. To adapt to harsh weather, this species has evolved to have a more flexible metabolism and the ability to drink large amounts of water in a short time.
In addition, the African wild ass has large ears to help them dissipate heat and gray fur that reflects intense sunlight. They can go for long periods without water and can lose up to 30% of their body water without serious consequences. It is estimated that they can go about a week without water.
2. Rüppell's Fox
Rüppell's Fox is a species of fox in the Canidae family. It is found in North Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. They typically inhabit the Lut Desert in Iran, one of the hottest places on Earth. NASA has recorded the highest temperature in this desert to be 70.7°C.
Rüppell's Fox has developed several adaptive features such as a small body for better heat dissipation, low metabolic rates to conserve energy, concentrated urine to reduce water consumption, allowing them to conserve water efficiently. They primarily obtain water from consuming prey. They often hunt at night to keep their bodies cool and minimize moisture loss.
3. Greater Bilby
Greater Bilbies, also known as bilbies or rabbit-bandicoots, are marsupials with a mix of rabbit and bandicoot features. They are native to Australia. Their large ears are crucial in helping them regulate body temperature since Greater Bilbies do not have sweat glands.
The Greater Bilby is nocturnal and doesn't need to drink water. It can live for 3 years by just eating dry seeds because of its internal structure that allows it to extract water from its food. This is one of the remarkable adaptations of the Greater Bilby to cope with arid conditions.
4. Sahara Ant
The Sahara silver ant (Scientific name: Cataglyphis bombycina) is an ant species in the Formicidae family living in the Sahara Desert. It's a desert animal, and the scorching sun in the desert doesn't affect them due to their special structure.
This creature has a heat-resistant shield consisting of a special layer of fur covering its upper side and both sides of its body, while the underside is furless. This design helps reflect light 10 times more, and can keep the body cooler by up to 2 degrees Celsius under sunlight. Additionally, this silver fur layer aids in camouflage, facilitates communication, and reduces heat absorption from light, protecting them from being burnt.
In addition to the silver fur, this ant species also has much longer legs than other ants. These long legs keep the ant's body from touching hot surfaces. They also allow the ants to run swiftly to cooler spots after hunting for prey.
5. Water Bear Beetle
Water bear beetle is the envy of all creatures on the planet as it can withstand the most extreme heat on Earth. Water bears are the common name for the Tardigrada phylum, part of the superphylum Ecdysozoa. They are tiny animals, living in water, moss, belonging to the group of microscopic animals with 8 legs. Water bears belong to the Tardigrada phylum, an ancient group, with fossils found 530 million years ago, in the Cambrian period.
These tiny creatures are famous for their ability to adapt to every environmental surface: snow and ice, deep sea bottoms, sand, soil, rocks... in the most extreme habitats: where temperatures range from absolute zero (-273.15°C) to above the boiling point of water (100°C), high levels of radiation, or high water pressure. When other species cannot survive, water bears thrive. Some experiments even show that they can survive exposure to extremely high levels of toxic chemicals and even outer space.
Scientists believe that the reason for this creature's potential 'immortality' is due to a type of protein found only in the bodies of water bears, called Dsup (damage suppressor protein), which has helped protect their bodies from damage in harsh environments. This is also the protective mechanism that scientists have been constantly searching for to achieve longer lifespan for humans.
