Nature

Seven Bizarre Animal Survival Traits

October 6, 2018

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From regeneration, to walking on water; these animals know how to survive in the wild.

The world can be a harsh place to live sometimes, especially for those who are small, blind or bad at swimming. From regeneration, to walking on water; these animals know how to survive in the wild.

Most creatures don’t have the luxury of air conditioning, or readily available drinking water. But do have some bizarre skills to help them out in the nastiest places on the planet. Here are seven animals who are serious about survival.

The number 7 spot goes to the Karakul sheep. Think you put on weight in all the wrong places? Some breeds of sheep store fat in their tails.

The Karakul might be the oldest domesticated sheep. They roamed ancient Babylonian temples over three thousand years ago.

They’ve only survived that long because they have a sack in its tail filled with fat. Whenever food is scarce, the Karakul get all their nutrition straight from their tail. What a diet!

Number 6 – the kangaroo rat.

Humans can survive without water for up to a week. But in the dry, hot deserts that are home to the kangaroo rat, we wouldn’t even last a few days. The kangaroo rat gets by just fine without drinking a single drop of water, sometimes for their entire lifetime!

To survive, this little beast makes use of water produced by its own body through oxidizing food. It also has super-kidneys that work to keep all its water in its body rather than tinkling it out.

Number 5 – the American alligator.

These tough reptiles survived what the dinosaurs couldn’t. When it gets too cold, alligators have the ability to slow down their body processes. They don’t even waste energy on food digestion. They stop feeding altogether when the temperature drops to 23°C (73°F).

To survive colder conditions, they submerge themselves in the water, only leaving their nostrils out. When the water turns into ice, and traps their body, they’re still able to breathe.

And there are other animals who don’t breathe the way you’d expect them to. Which brings us to number 4 – the Borneo frog.

This rare frog lives in cold, fast rivers of Kalimantan, Borneo. Unlike its other frog relatives, it has no lungs. Instead, it does all its breathing entirely through its skin. Could be a very handy trick sometimes.

Number 3 – the green basilisk lizard.

Dubbed the Jesus lizard, the basilisk can sprint on the water. When fleeing from a predator, the lizard can run as fast as 1.5 meters per second (5 feet per second) before gravity takes over and the basilisk sinks.

Luckily, the basilisk is an excellent swimmer, and can stay underwater for up to 30 minutes. Don’t hold your breath waiting for him to resurface.

Number 2 – the elephant.

Earth’s biggest land animals can hear with their feet. Elephants have sensory receptors on their feet that can detect underground vibrations. These receptors allow them to hear storms as far away as 240 km (150 miles.)

This ability also helps elephants make long-distance calls to their herd – to warn them about danger, or to alert others about the location of food or water when times are tough.

And finally, number 1 goes to flatworms. As a kid, you may have cut an earthworm in half to get two worms. Well, you cut the wrong worm. Flatworms are the ones that can do that trick.

Not only can they regenerate body parts when needed, but their new heads also retain all the old memories. So if you happen to decapitate a flatworm, it won’t be too fond of you when its head grows back.

It’s amazing what some animals can do to survive when there’s a lack of food and water, or when kids on the playground decide to bisect you. And that’s why they’re Crazy Creatures.