7 extraordinary animal abilities

Animals are full of surprises. And some of the things they do may sound unbelievable, but they’re real. These include animals with bubble “guns” & little creatures that can shrug off space itself. Here are seven extraordinary animal abilities and the scientific studies behind them (see the end). Which one do you think is the weirdest?

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The pistol shrimp cavitation snap

A pistol shrimp is able to slam its claw shut, and it’s loud. Pretty loud. In fact, it blasts out a jet of water so fast that it makes a bubble collapse with a bang. That brief implosion is hotter than the surface of the sun & it also gives off a flash of light. It all comes from a shrimp under two inches long.

The peacock mantis shrimp’s punch

The peacock mantis shrimp uses more than simple muscles to punch. It has a biological “spring-loaded hammer,” which is a kind of joint that stores energy. The mantis then lets the punch fly in a move that’s faster than most bullets in water. In fact, high-speed cameras have clocked the strike at over 50 mph. That’s enough to crack crab shells & even aquarium glass.

The electric eel’s shock

An electric eel is essentially an eel with built-in tasers. It fires off rapid electrical pulses that are able to make the fish’s muscles contract without the fish needing to move. The shock freezes prey in place, leaving it utterly helpless, and the eel can use this ability when it’s threatened. The fish can leap up & deliver the jolt straight to whatever’s touching it.

The bombardier beetle’s boiling spray

This beetle has chemistry labs inside its body, and when threatened, it mixes stored chemicals. These instantly react & heat to boiling. The result? A scalding spray that comes out in bursts, almost like a tiny machine gun, with a temperature that reaches near 212°F. The beetle can swivel its nozzle to aim with surprising accuracy.

The wood frog’s deep freeze survival

Wood frogs do what sounds impossible every winter. They literally freeze. Their hearts stop & ice fills much of their bodies, but they aren’t dead. This is because of the amount of glucose & urea that they pump into their cells. It acts like natural antifreeze. Once the warmth of spring arrives, they thaw out and hop off as if nothing happened.

The hagfish’s rapid fiber-gel

The hagfish is a fish that defends itself with instant slime. Yes, really. It releases threads & mucus that mix with seawater to form a gooey net in seconds. The creature expands so much that it can choke the gills of predators trying to bite it, although that’s not the weirdest part. It’s the fact that it takes very little raw material to make gallons of the stuff.

The immortal jellyfish’s lifespan

Scientists found that Turritopsis dohrnii doesn’t age like other animals. Anytime something bad happens, like injury or stress, these jellyfish can literally de-age themselves. They roll back into their polyp stage. Essentially, they start fresh instead of breaking down with age, and they can do it again & again.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article: