Top 15 Animals with the Most Extraordinary Abilities

This tiny creature, measuring less than 1mm in length, possesses an incredible ability to adapt to extreme environments. Tardigrades can survive in the vacuum of space for up to 10 days and return to a healthy state with minimal intervention. Extreme cold temperatures pose no threat to them either, as they endure conditions that cause most other animals to stop metabolic activity and conserve water through their skin.

Commonly known as 'water bears' or 'moss piglets', tardigrades are microscopic aquatic animals belonging to the phylum Tardigrada. They are part of the larger group Ecdysozoa, and their fossils date back over 530 million years to the Cambrian period.

These creatures are extremophiles, organisms that thrive in extreme environments that would be lethal to most life forms. Tardigrades can withstand temperatures from nearly absolute zero to the boiling point of water, pressures six times greater than the deepest parts of the ocean, ionizing radiation hundreds of times stronger than lethal doses, and the vacuum of outer space. They can go without food or water for up to a decade, surviving with only 3% or less of their usual water content. Due to these extraordinary capabilities, tardigrades are found worldwide, from the peaks of the Himalayas (over 6,000 meters) to the depths of the oceans (over 4,000 meters), and from the polar regions to the equator.

Although some species reproduce asexually, both male and female tardigrades have a single gonad in their intestines. Tardigrades lay eggs, which are typically fertilized externally, though a few species reproduce internally. Eggs usually hatch within 14 days, and the young resemble the adult form, with growth occurring through cellular expansion rather than cell division.

This remarkable fish is a master marksman, capable of striking prey with a deadly water jet from several centimeters away. Researchers have discovered that Archerfish have evolved highly specialized mouths, enabling them to generate enough force to shoot water with deadly precision. They can even adjust the angle of their water stream to optimize its power depending on the distance to their target.

Also known as Toxotidae, Archerfish are relatively small, with an average length of about 18 cm. Their appearance includes a pointed head, wide mouth, and a long, flattened body. They have a disproportionate belly and an extended lower jaw, giving them a distinctive look.

Archerfish are versatile, thriving in both saltwater and freshwater environments. In Vietnam, they are commonly found in the lower reaches of the Mekong River. Their unique mouth structure, powered by strong jaw muscles, works similarly to a human arm throwing an object, allowing them to create significant pressure and shoot water bullets at prey from up to 2 meters away.

These water jets can travel at a speed of about 3.01 m/s, gradually increasing over time. By the time they hit their target, the velocity reaches 3.27 m/s, enough to take down small insects, disorient birds, or create a sharp, needle-like sensation on human skin.

Archerfish are skilled hunters, compensating for the distortion of light as it bends when traveling from air to water. They can still accurately calculate the position of their prey, correcting for the difference between the apparent and actual location, ensuring a perfect shot every time.

Researchers were astonished to discover that the naked mole rat is resistant to cancer, with no recorded cases of the disease among their colonies. Scientists believe a special sugar compound produced and secreted by these creatures is the key to preventing cancer. This compound, likely a high-molecular weight form of Hyaluronan, was developed by the species to protect their skin from rough conditions underground.

The naked mole rat, with its wrinkled pink skin, hairless body, and saber-like teeth, relies on its sensitive tactile hairs to navigate its near-blind world. It is one of the longest-living rodents, remaining healthy throughout its lifetime. Its skin is impervious to acid or chili, and it is the only known cold-blooded mammal on Earth.

This hairless rodent has an extraordinary ability to efficiently remove damaged proteins while retaining stable, high-quality proteins. This helps them avoid typical signs of aging, such as cognitive decline. Other factors contributing to their longevity include a slow metabolism that reduces oxidative damage, allowing them to live up to 26 years or more. Remarkably, they can even reproduce at advanced ages.

Naked mole rats live in large, underground colonies, resembling the social structure of insects like ants and termites. Each colony is led by a queen, the only female capable of breeding, while the other members perform various duties. Their social structure, combined with their numbers, offers protection from predators, ensuring the survival of the entire colony. The queen can produce up to 100 offspring annually, continuing to do so until she reaches at least 20 years of age.

With the fastest metabolism among all animals, hummingbirds can flap their wings up to 80 times per second, flying in any direction, including backward. Their hearts beat 1,260 times per minute, and they can even eat at an astounding rate of 13 bites per second. Hummingbirds are the only animals capable of hovering in place, achieved by rapidly beating their wings. They can reach speeds of up to 17 m/s during courtship displays, and 11 m/s during regular flight. When resting, they breathe 250 times per minute.

Hummingbirds also hold several records in the bird world, including being the fastest flying bird, the only one capable of backward flight, and the smallest bird species. Here are 19 fascinating facts about hummingbirds for you to explore. Their wings can move independently, allowing them to hover and keep their heads perfectly still. Their rapid wing beats—70 to 80 per second—make them the fastest wing-flapping birds. Hummingbirds are tiny, measuring about 8 cm in length and weighing between 2 and 20 grams, making them the smallest birds on Earth.

Experts agree that hummingbirds possess exceptional vision, enabling them to spot food from up to 1.3 km away. Their nests are incredibly small, roughly the size of a walnut. There are approximately 400 species of hummingbirds, primarily found in tropical areas near the equator. Despite their tiny brains, hummingbirds have excellent memory, especially when it comes to remembering flowers they’ve visited and the time it takes for them to regenerate nectar.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird, measuring 7 to 9 cm and weighing around 2.83 grams, can migrate over 600 miles (965 km). Only the male Ruby-throated Hummingbird has the characteristic red throat. While both genders have similar body sizes, the female takes on all the tasks of building the nest, laying eggs, and caring for the young without assistance from the male.

The dung beetle, a remarkable creature, is known for its unmatched sense of smell, allowing it to navigate using the stars in the galaxy. It can transform dung into perfectly round balls, much like marbles. These beetles possess extraordinary strength, capable of lifting objects up to ten times their body weight. The Onthophagus Taurus species can carry objects weighing up to 1,000 times its body weight—similar to a human pulling a 67.5-ton Leopard 2A7 tank. This immense strength makes the dung beetle one of the strongest animals on Earth relative to its size.

Like other insects, the dung beetle's body is divided into three main parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. Its head features antennae and a hard, protective horn, used for defense and displaying itself to potential mates. The thorax is equipped with six legs and hardened wings that function like an armored shield, protecting its chest and abdomen. The beetle's body is robust, with a helmet-like head, shovel-shaped front legs, and a curved, pointed back end. This unique shape is perfectly suited for its task, allowing it to work without expending excessive energy.

These beetles search the ground for fresh dung, landing near a pile, and using their shovel-like head and front legs to scoop up wet dung and earth. They roll the collected material into balls, pushing them forward, with the male typically leading the charge and using his back legs to push the ball. The female follows closely behind, pushing the ball from behind.

Native to Central America, the Green Basilisk, also known as the ‘Jesus Christ Lizard,’ has evolved an extraordinary ability to run on water without sinking. This remarkable skill has earned it its nickname, and scientists have found that its long toes and small skin folds increase the surface contact area of each step, allowing it to sprint across the water for up to 5 meters, evading predators.

Found in the tropical rainforests of Central America, ranging from southern Mexico to Panama, the basilisk typically resides in the trees. They rarely enter the water unless threatened, at which point they leap from the trees and run across the surface of the water, standing upright and using their back legs to propel them.

This species is one of the few animals capable of running on water. When pursued by predators or in need of quick escape, the basilisk can speed across the surface effortlessly. Research indicates that these lizards can achieve speeds of up to 8.4 km/h, sometimes even reaching 11 km/h on the water.

The basilisk has a striking green body, yellow eyes, and small green spots along its back. It features three crests: one on its head, one on its back, and one on its tail. Females have smaller crests. This lizard is non-venomous and its color adapts to the lighting of its environment. At birth, it lacks the dorsal crest, and its tail gradually develops over the first 8 months of life.

The Turritopsis Nutricula, also known as the immortal jellyfish, is a remarkable organism capable of living longer than any other creature, with the potential to live forever. This jellyfish has a unique ability to reverse its life cycle, transforming from a complex multicellular organism back into a simple single-celled state through a process called transdifferentiation. Once it reaches maturity and can reproduce, if the jellyfish becomes stressed or injured, it can trigger a process known as 'biological rejuvenation,' returning it to an earlier, juvenile form. However, despite its potential immortality, these jellyfish often die due to predation or being consumed by other creatures, as they are only a few millimeters in size.

The immortal jellyfish belongs to the hydrozoan class within the Cnidaria phylum and is typically found in the Mediterranean Sea and the waters of Japan. Its bell-shaped body measures around 4.5mm in diameter, with a thin membrane, except for a slightly thicker area at the top. The jellyfish's stomach is relatively large and bright red. Juvenile jellyfish are only 1mm in diameter and have 8 evenly spaced tentacles, while the adults have 80-90 tentacles. The immortal jellyfish can reverse its life cycle when injured or starving, meaning it theoretically has the potential to live forever.

When physically damaged or under stress from hunger, the mature jellyfish can convert its cells and circulatory system back into a polyp state. Lacking tentacles and the ability to swim, the polyp sinks to the ocean floor. Within 24-36 hours, the polyp begins to develop into a new juvenile jellyfish, much like a butterfly returning to a caterpillar form before emerging once again. This biological regeneration is an exceptionally rare phenomenon in the animal kingdom.

Research has shown that the cells in the adult jellyfish and the polyp are different. The process of the jellyfish reverting to a polyp allows it to create an entirely new body, but genetically, the new jellyfish is identical to the original. This reversal can repeat as needed, and under ideal environmental conditions, the immortal jellyfish will never die from aging.

Salmon are known for their ability to detect Earth's magnetic field, a skill that enables them to navigate the vast, dark oceans like a natural GPS system. This magnetic sensitivity aids their migratory journey across the seas. Salmon, a name used for various species in the Salmonidae family, rely on Earth's magnetic field to guide their navigation during migration.

Salmon live along the coasts of the North Atlantic (the migratory Salmo salar species) and the Pacific Ocean (with approximately six species of Oncorhynchus). They've even been introduced to the Great Lakes in North America. Salmon farming is a major industry around the globe.

Characteristic of the species, salmon swim upstream to spawn: they are born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean, and return to freshwater to reproduce. However, some salmon species live their entire lives in freshwater. Popular folklore suggests that salmon return to the exact spot where they were born to lay their eggs, and research has confirmed this is true. This behavior is thought to be guided by their olfactory memory.

In the northwestern Pacific and Alaska, salmon play an essential role in supporting wildlife such as birds, bears, and otters. Their bodies serve as a nutrient bridge, transferring nitrogen, sulfur, carbon, and phosphorus from the ocean to the forest ecosystems. Grizzly bears act as ecological engineers, catching salmon and carrying them to nearby forests. Here, the bears' waste and partially consumed fish fertilize the soil, providing nutrients. It has been estimated that bears leave as much as half of the salmon they catch in the forest, enriching the land with up to 4,000 kilograms of fish per hectare. The trees, such as spruce, located 500 meters from streams where grizzly bears catch salmon, have been found to contain nitrogen derived from the salmon catch.

The Scaly-Foot Snail, an extraordinary creature that thrives on the ocean floor, has adapted to survive in one of the most extreme environments on Earth—near underwater volcanic vents. To withstand these harsh conditions, this unique snail has evolved to use iron from its body to form an armor-like shell around its foot.

Scientifically known as Chrysomallon squamiferum, these snails are also referred to as the scaly-foot gastropod or hydrothermal snails. They are the only known animals on Earth that have developed the ability to combine iron with their external exoskeleton to form a protective armor. Their shell consists primarily of calcium and iron sulfide, giving them a metallic sheen.

Scaly-foot snails live in deep-sea hydrothermal vent habitats, where the water pressure is immense, the temperatures are extreme, the acidity is high, and oxygen levels are low. They were first discovered on a seamount between the Indian Ocean, later found in areas like Solitaire and Longqi. Despite their adaptation to such an environment, these snails are now at risk of extinction and have been listed among endangered species.

The Tasmanian Devil, known scientifically as Sarcophilus harrisii, is a carnivorous marsupial from the Dasyuridae family, primarily found on the island of Tasmania, Australia. In 1936, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world after the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger.

Adults of this species are about the size of a small dog, weighing an average of 8kg and measuring 57-65cm in length. Tasmanian Devils are notably fierce, hunting and feeding on almost any animal they can catch, and they are particularly fond of scavenging carcasses, even devouring bones.

Their gestation period lasts about 21 days, with females giving birth to 1 to 4 babies. At birth, the infants are very small, weighing only about 0.18-0.24 grams and measuring roughly 0.2 cm in length.

One of the Tasmanian Devil’s most remarkable traits is its ability to store nearly all its body fat in its tail, which keeps it looking well-proportioned despite its voracious appetite.

The Macropinna microstoma, also known as the Barreleye Fish, features a transparent head, giving it a unique and rare appearance. Thanks to this special structure, its eyes, which are deeply set within its skull, have an extraordinarily wide field of view. This exceptional vision minimizes blind spots and allows the fish to easily detect both predators and prey nearby. Barreleye Fish are typically found at depths of 600-800 meters, making them rare to encounter.

The Barreleye Fish can look through its transparent forehead to see above and search for prey. This ability to see above helps them locate food in the dark. A 2009 study revealed that the fish's eyes can rotate within their transparent shield, allowing it to either gaze forward or look upward to observe everything above its head. This unique feature helps the fish track prey entering its small mouth.

When it spots prey, the Barreleye Fish’s eyes emit a greenish light, and the fish quickly swims toward the target to catch it.

Experts from MBARI discovered that this fascinating fish feeds primarily on jellyfish. The small indentations on its face are actually olfactory organs, functioning as nostrils. Barreleye Fish can grow up to 15 cm in length and are regarded as one of the most unusual fish species in the world. Many mysteries about this deep-sea creature remain to be uncovered.

With its powerful, thick claw and lightning-fast strikes, the mantis shrimp is a feared predator in the ocean. Known as the 'ocean’s assassin,' the Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Stomatopoda) possesses a weapon capable of crushing its prey with a force over 1,000 times its own body weight.

Mantis shrimp are crustaceans that belong to the Stomatopoda group, comprising more than 400 species. They are also known as 'mantis crabs' due to their resemblance to mantis insects, with large, formidable claws. These creatures are found in tropical and temperate seas around the world. Some species can grow up to 30cm in length.

The claw of the mantis shrimp is its most formidable weapon. Shaped like a mace, it strikes with tremendous speed and force. When hunting crustaceans, mollusks, and other prey with hard shells, the shrimp uses its claw to smash through the shell. A single strike can kill the prey instantly, although when fighting other mantis shrimps, the blow doesn’t result in death.

Mantis shrimp strike their targets at a mind-blowing speed of up to 23 meters per second, delivering 1,500 Newtons of force with each blow. Scientists have found that the acceleration of the claw when it strikes is comparable to the speed of a bullet. The shrimp’s claw is covered with a unique nanostructure that helps absorb and dissipate energy. Due to the rapid movement, the mantis shrimp creates bubbles in the space between its claw and the target. When these bubbles collapse, they generate a powerful shockwave that enhances the force of the strike, significantly increasing its killing potential. Even if the claw misses, the shockwave from the collapsing bubbles can still kill the prey.

Studies have shown that the spiral arrangement of α-chitin fibers, combined with fish bone structure, helps redirect and change the way cracks propagate during the strike.

The cuttlefish is a unique hunter, possessing a remarkable ability to create a mesmerizing light show that hypnotizes its prey, usually small fish or crustaceans. As the prey becomes entranced by the dazzling display, the cuttlefish closes in and extends its two long tentacles to capture the target.

Cuttlefish have a large internal shell, a W-shaped pupil, eight arms, and two tentacles equipped with toothed suckers to secure their prey. They typically measure between 15 cm (5.9 inches) and 25 cm (9.8 inches), with the largest species, Sepia apama, reaching up to 50 cm (20 inches) in length and weighing more than 10.5 kg.

Cuttlefish feed on small mollusks, crabs, shrimp, fish, octopuses, worms, and even other cuttlefish. Their predators include dolphins, sharks, fish, seals, seabirds, and other cuttlefish. Their lifespan is around 1-2 years. Recent studies have revealed that cuttlefish are among the most intelligent invertebrates, with the largest brain-to-body ratio of any invertebrate species.

Cuttlefish belong to the Cephalopoda class, which also includes octopuses, squids, and nautiluses. They are considered the most intelligent invertebrates due to their large brain size, as recent research suggests. The cuttlefish’s eight arms and two tentacles, lined with toothed suckers, help them secure prey efficiently. Their W-shaped pupils and oval body shape give them a unique appearance, with an average length of 15-25 cm. The meat of the cuttlefish is thick and white.

The lyrebird's superpower lies in its extraordinary ability to mimic a wide range of sounds it has heard, using this skill as a defense mechanism to intimidate and escape predators. One of the most remarkable features of this bird is its capacity to imitate the calls of about 20 different species at once, continuously singing its own songs along with various other melodies to stay safe. Native to Australia, lyrebirds are found in the Great Dividing Range and tropical forests near the border of Queensland and New South Wales.

Thanks to its unique vocal system, the lyrebird can imitate the sounds of animals, including chainsaws, camera shutters, and even human speech. Not only does it excel at mimicry, but the male lyrebird has also developed a fascinating way to woo females. When in danger, it calls loudly – signaling a warning. However, this is also a clever tactic used by the male to attract females. It sends out false signals and then flies around to deceive the females, making them believe that the safest place is with the male.

Ornithologist Anastasia Dalziell from Cornell University (USA) explains that mimicking alarm calls is crucial for male lyrebirds to successfully mate. During the breeding season from June to August 2020, the birds emitted alarm calls at a high frequency, reaching up to four hours a day. These calls even occurred during the male's courtship dance. Scientists believe that beyond wooing and deceiving females into mating, the male's mimicry extends the mating process, potentially increasing the chances of successful fertilization.

The lyrebird is known for its striking appearance, especially the large, beautiful tail of the male when courting a mate. The female measures around 74–84 cm, while the male is slightly larger, ranging from 80–98 cm in length. Lyrebirds typically build their nests in dense bushes, feeding on insects, spiders, earthworms, and occasionally seeds.