10 Animals With Abilities That Sound Made Up

Picture an animal that freezes solid, stops its heart, and walks away in spring. Or one that survives the vacuum of space. These sound like comic-book powers, yet every animal below is real, and scientists have measured what they can do. A few come with fine print, so we've flagged the common myths along the way.

1. The Immortal Jellyfish



When injured or starved, the tiny jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii can sink, form a cyst-like ball, and turn back into a polyp, its youngest life stage. In principle, it can repeat this cycle indefinitely, which is why researchers are interested in it for studying aging. Myth check: it isn't unkillable. Predators and disease can still kill it.



2. The Tardigrade

Close-up of a tardigrade, also known as a water bear, showing its segmented body and eight


In September 2007, about 3,000 water bears flew on a 12-day European Space Agency mission and were exposed to open space. Most survived the vacuum and cosmic rays, and some even survived solar ultraviolet radiation more than 1,000 times stronger than on Earth's surface. The survivors went on to reproduce. Myth check: they went in dried out, so "indestructible" is an exaggeration.


3. The Mantis Shrimp

A brightly colored peacock mantis shrimp with green, blue, and orange markings resting on a tropical coral reef.

Its club-like claws strike at about 50 mph in under three thousandths of a second. Researchers suggest the blow also creates cavitation bubbles, whose destructive collapse helps break snail shells. Myth check: it still holds the record for fastest limb movement, but the trap-jaw ant's jaws are quicker.


4. The Axolotl

 pale pink axolotl underwater, displaying its feathery external gills, small limbs, and long tail.


This Mexican salamander can regenerate limbs, spinal cord, and parts of its brain and heart without forming scar tissue. Humans can't, which is why labs study how its cells respond to injury and how that differs from healing in humans. Its genome is enormous, about 32 billion base pairs compared with roughly 3 billion in humans. In the wild, it is critically endangered and native to just one lake, Xochimilco.


5. The Wood Frog

A brown wood frog with a dark mask behind its eyes resting on damp leaves on a woodland floor.


In winter, the North American wood frog freezes. As much as 65 percent of its body water can turn to ice, its heart and brain stop, and a natural antifreeze protects its cells. After a spring thaw, it is fully functional again within about 10 hours. That's why researchers study it for organ preservation.


6. The Electric Eel


An electric eel swimming through murky freshwater among submerged roots and vegetation in the Amazon basin.


Despite the name, it's a knifefish, not a true eel. A 2019 study showed there are three species, and one of them, Volta's electric eel, discharged 860 volts, the highest recorded for any animal. The previous record was 650 volts. Researchers have also documented groups of more than 100 hunting together in the Amazon.


7. The Bombardier Beetle

Bar-headed goose flying above the Himalayan mountains during its high-altitude migration.


When threatened, this beetle fires a spray at about 100°C, in rapid pulses between 368 and 735 per second. A chemical reaction inside its body heats the mixture. The pulsing may give its reaction chamber time to cool between bursts.


8. The Greenland Shark


a green shark deep in the ocean


A 2016 study in Science used radiocarbon dating on the eye lenses of 28 sharks. The oldest was estimated at about 392 years, with a possible range of 272 to 512. Even the low end makes it the longest-living vertebrate known. They also grow slowly, about 1 centimeter a year. Keep in mind that this is an estimate, not a birth certificate.


9. The Bar-Headed Goose

Bar-headed goose flying above the Himalayan mountains during its high-altitude migration.


These geese cross the Himalayas on migration, but the idea that they routinely fly over Everest's summit isn't supported by tracking data. A study of 91 geese found they typically travel through valleys, with a maximum recorded altitude of 7,290 meters and 95 percent of locations below 5,489 meters. Everest rises about 8,850 meters.


10. The Mimic Octopus

Mimic octopus spreading its arms across a sandy seabed to imitate a flatfish underwater.


Discovered in 1998 off Sulawesi, Indonesia, this octopus can imitate animals such as sea snakes and lionfish. It has been seen posing as a sea snake only when bothered by damselfish, which sea snakes prey on. Researchers have noted its pattern may also be a warning signal, which hasn't been confirmed. How much of its look is true mimicry is still unsettled.


Final thoughts

None of this is magic. Each ability solves a real survival problem, whether that's winter cold, hungry predators, or thin air. Scientists are learning from several of them, from wood frogs for organ preservation to axolotls for regeneration. Which one surprised you most? Tell us in the comments.


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