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It’s no secret that animals have a way of making us humans look a little less impressive with their astonishing abilities. But that's okay—we can take it in stride. If we thought of ourselves as animals, our intelligence alone would probably land us near the top of the list—but not quite at the top. So, what could possibly be more impressive than supreme intelligence? Keep reading: I promise some of these bizarre and remarkable animal abilities will catch your attention.
10. Borneo Hills Ninja Slug
Ibycus rachelae, as the experts call it, is a semi-slug (with a shell that’s far too small to retract into) found in a mountain forest in Sabah, Malaysia. One of its most striking features is its tail, which is three times longer than its body. When the creature is at rest, it curls its tail around itself like a cat you might hesitate to pet.
Another intriguing ability of the Ninja slug is its ability to launch calcium carbonate “love-darts” at potential mates. These darts are coated with hormones designed to excite the target, encouraging them to overlook the fact that they were just struck by a spike, boosting the chances of successful reproduction.
9. Self-Immunizing Opossum
One of the most famous defensive tactics of the common North American opossum is its remarkable ability to fake death when faced with danger. Known as Thanatosis, this strategy works well against many predators, though it doesn’t always do the trick with cars. Thankfully, opossums are also equipped with a unique protein called LTNF (Lethal Toxin-Neutralizing Factor), which makes them nearly immune to the venom of snakes, bees, and scorpions. The process is simple: once the venom is detected in the opossum’s body, LTNF targets and neutralizes it. What's even more astonishing is that this marsupial can be immune to the venom of snakes from faraway continents, even those it’s never encountered.
A fascinating tidbit: The LTNF protein has been successfully injected into rats, granting them immunity to otherwise lethal venoms.
8. Hippopotami’s Blood-Sweat Sunscreen
The hippopotamus is often considered one of Africa’s most dangerous creatures, but that’s just one part of what makes these fascinating animals so special. Hippos are full of interesting facts and quirks. (The one thing that comes close to being as unsettling as this entry is the so-called ‘poop helicopter’ they create with their tails).
To cope with the intense African heat, hippos spend a significant amount of time partially submerged in lakes and rivers. However, the water does little to shield their exposed skin, which is where their unique sunscreen comes into play. This blood-red, gelatinous secretion is produced in a way similar to sweat, except that the glands responsible for it are located beneath the skin rather than within it. Made of two highly acidic compounds, the oily “blood-sweat” dries when it comes into contact with mucus and absorbs sunlight in both the ultraviolet and visible light spectrum.
As an added bonus, this substance also acts as a powerful antibiotic, helping to prevent infections that might result from the wounds hippos inflict on each other during territorial fights.
7. Flying Snake
The harsh truth about life on certain continents: eventually, you'll encounter some truly bizarre and even nightmarish creatures. Spiders? Fine. Snakes? Sure. Crocodiles? No problem. Flying snakes? Wait, what? That's not real!
As unbelievable as it may sound, in some forested parts of Southeast Asia, you might be (un)fortunate enough to come across a wriggling, mildly venomous snake—at eye level. These serpents have the ability to flatten their bodies, suck in their stomachs, and take daring leaps from the treetops, allowing them to move swiftly and safely away from predators. The truly bizarre part is that they can glide much more effectively than animals with limbs—up to 100 meters—despite not having wings or wing-like appendages.
6. Suicidal Ant
A species of ant native to Malaysia and Brunei, whose workers employ a particularly explosive form of self-defense—or, more accurately, territorial defense. These ants have an enlarged mandibular gland containing a toxic glue-like substance that runs along the length of their bodies. When threatened, they contract their abdomens, causing the glands to rupture inside them, releasing a sticky secretion from the front of their heads. While having something’s face explode in front of you would be unpleasant, the gooey nature of the liquid makes it even worse, causing smaller predators to get their limbs stuck, leaving them vulnerable to a counterattack from the colony. Not to mention the chemical cocktail now coating their bodies. Even predators have their off days.
5. Pistol Shrimp
If you've heard of the Pistol Shrimp, you’re probably familiar with its powerful claw. When this massive claw snaps shut, it creates a bubble that can stun or even kill its prey. At first, this might not sound so impressive, but there’s much more to this creature’s unique ability.
For starters, these shrimp are usually only about 1-2 inches (3-5 cm) long, which doesn’t exactly make them the most intimidating predators. Yet, despite their small size, they can generate a cavitation bubble that travels at speeds of 60 mph (97 km/h) and produces a sound reaching 218 decibels. To put that into perspective, it takes around 160 decibels to rupture a human eardrum.
So, while that’s impressive, there’s still more to discover. The bubble they produce is a fascinating phenomenon: when the cavitation bubble collapses, the pressure and temperature inside it soar, causing the gas within to violently dissipate into the surrounding water, creating an acoustic shockwave and even emitting visible light, known as “sonoluminescence.” Though this reaction is brief, the heat of the vapor can reach up to 4,700 degrees Celsius, which is nearly as hot as the sun’s surface, which is about 5,500 degrees Celsius.
(Interesting note: If the Pistol Shrimp loses its primary claw, the smaller one will grow to take its place, while the amputated claw regenerates into a new “normal” one.)
4. Sea Cucumber
Sea cucumbers have a remarkable ability to evade predators by liquefying and solidifying their bodies at will. With this unusual skill, they can slip into cracks and crevices, then secure themselves in place by transforming back into their solid form. Their skin contains a special kind of collagen known as mutable collagenous tissue, which can stretch, slide, and reorient without damage. When they enter a rigid state, the tissue aligns into a lattice structure.
But that’s not their only trick. When threatened, some sea cucumbers expel sticky threads to trap their attackers. Others have a truly bizarre defense mechanism—they can deliberately mutilate their own bodies. By violently contracting their muscles, they eject some of their internal organs through their anus. Fortunately, these missing parts are swiftly regenerated.
3. Immortal Jellyfish
The Turritopsis nutricula is a jellyfish species that claims immortality. It is famous for its unique ability to revert back to the immature polyp stage after reaching sexual maturity. This remarkable feat is achieved through a process called “transdifferentiation,” where one specialized type of cell transforms into an entirely different kind of cell. The medusa physically regresses, absorbs its tentacles and bell, then anchors itself to the seafloor to start growing back into maturity. Imagine turning back into a baby after becoming an adult.
Turritopsis nutricula can repeat this process indefinitely, making it the only known biologically immortal creature. However, during its polyp stage, it is essentially immobile and must avoid predators. This makes it highly unlikely that any of these immortal jellyfish will actually live forever in the wild.
2. Self-Healing Axolotl
The axolotl is a peculiar creature for several reasons. It is a neotenous salamander, meaning it keeps its larval characteristics even after reaching sexual maturity. Though it spends its life in water, it has rudimentary lungs, allowing it to occasionally gulp air at the surface. But the most extraordinary feature of the axolotl is its superhero-like healing abilities.
When an axolotl experiences injury (such as a cut or losing a limb), the healing process begins instantly—with coagulation happening right away. New cells start to form at the site of the trauma. For example, when a limb is lost, skin cells generate from the area where the damage occurred. Following that, the axolotl begins to grow new tissues: it can regenerate blood vessels, muscles, bones, and even nerves. Remarkably, the time needed to grow an entirely new limb is only a few months.
This regenerative ability extends to non-essential organs and even parts of the brain. Due to these incredible healing capabilities, the axolotl is extensively studied in labs worldwide, with the hope of one day transferring these traits to humans.
1. Mimic Octopus
As an octopus, gaining recognition for your camouflage skills is a challenge since all octopuses can change their color and texture to blend in with their environment. However, the Mimic Octopus goes above and beyond the typical camouflage; it can actually mimic other creatures.
The mimic octopus chooses which predator to impersonate based on the type of threat it faces. For instance, when attacked by a damselfish, it buried itself and six of its tentacles in the sand, leaving the remaining two pointed in opposite directions, effectively imitating the movement of a sea snake.
Mimic octopuses have been observed mimicking the appearances and behaviors of various creatures, including lionfish, flatfish, jellyfish, stingrays, mantis shrimp, and sea anemones. In total, it's believed they can impersonate at least 15 different species.
