- Hey guys, so this week we
(clears throat)
(frog croaks)
Sorry, I had a frog in my throat.
That will make more sense to you in a bit.
So one of the most impressive
things about nature is its animals.
Now generally when we hear the word animal,
we think dogs, cats, and birds,
but the term animal actually includes
most living things on this planet
including sea creatures, mammals, and insects.
And some of these animal species have survived
for millions of years by evolving
and developing what can only be described as superpowers.
Some of which would give
Marvel Comics a run for their money.
So this week, I gathered some creatures
that exist on Earth right now that have evolved
some really cool powers.
And of course I wanted to share them with you,
so here they are.
Ten incredible animals with real life superpowers.
Number one is the mantis shrimp.
The bright neon mantis shrimp is a stomatopod
and actually has two unique powers.
First, unlike humans that have only
three color receptive cones in our eyes
that allow us to see red, green and blue,
this marine crustacean has 16 that allows it
to see every color there is, including ultraviolet.
Secondly, for its size, it's remarkably strong and fast
with the ability to strike its forearms
at a speed of 50 to 84 kilometers an hour.
To put that into perspective,
that's as fast as a 22 caliber bullet.
In fact, some larger species are capable
of breaking aquarium glass with a single strike.
They typically live solitary lives
and can be quite aggressive so don't ever hold one
and especially don't ever piss one off
or it will O.J. Simpson your ass.
Number two is the turritopsis jellyfish.
The turritopsis dohrnii is more commonly
known as the immortal jellyfish and for good reason.
This jellyfish is biologically immortal,
meaning instead of dying, it reverts back
to its earliest stage of development, the pollyp,
and starts its life all over again.
When it gets old or injured, it sinks to the ocean floor,
folds in on itself, and reabsorbs itself.
From there, a polyp forms and from that
a new medusae is born, completing the cycle.
And in case you were wondering,
yes science is currently studying them
to see if they can engineer biological immortality in humans
but obviously it remains quite controversial.
Myself, I don't really know if I'd want to be a baby again.
I mean, all you do is play with toys
and eat and poop all day
while someone else cleans up after you.
Wait, what was the downside again?
Number three is the mimic octopus.
The thaumoctopus mimicus, better known as the mimic octopus
has the ability to morph into the shape
of 15 different marine species
including a lionfish, a jellyfish, and a sea snake.
Although many members of the octopus family
can change their color and even skin texture,
only the mimic octopus can impersonate
a wide variety of sea life by
taking on a different shape altogether.
What's most impressive about this defense mechanism
is that it's able to decide which animals
are most suitable to imitate based on
what the threat appears to be at any given time
and then morph into it within seconds.
If you want to see this thing in action
just go on YouTube and search mimic octopus.
There's lots of videos of it out there morphing.
However I warn you it's sort of
made of the stuff of nightmares
so it'll definitely make you
think twice about snorkeling, that's fo sho.
Number four is the lyrebird.
The lyrebird is a ground dwelling Australian bird
that has the unique ability to mimic
literally any sound that it hears exactly.
Because they have the most complexly
muscled vocal chords of any song bird,
the lyrebird can reproduce any sound it hears
both natural and artificial.
This includes camera shutters, car alarms,
barking dogs, human voices, and even a chainsaw.
Males mix these random sounds into the regular song
that they sing with the intention of impressing
the female lyrebirds with the hope
of ultimately finding a mate.
Males have huge tails that are strikingly
beautiful when fanned out,
which can even be found on the reverse side
of an Australian ten cent coin.
And when I saw that, I though oh good.
At least they didn't use stereotypical animals
like the emu or the kangaroo.
And then I saw the fifty cent coin
which features both of those animals.
So, yay stereotypes!
Number five is the tardigrade.
Tardigrades, also known as water bears or moss piglets
have the power of near indestructibility.
These water dwelling microanimals
only grow to a size of 1.5 millimeters
and have the ability to survive almost anything.
They can live 120 years without food,
live in extremely hot or cold climates,
and can even survive where the pressure
is six times that of the deepest part of the ocean.
They can even survive massive doses of radiation
and live in the vacuum of space.
Their virtual indestructibility comes from
a power called cryptobiosis where they are able
to dehydrate themselves, allowing them
to live for years with very little metabolic function.
Well clearly at some point during evolution
the tardigrade traded out good looks for survivability,
because this thing is hideous.
It makes the blob fish almost look like a Playboy model.
Yikes.
Number six is the hairy frog.
Also known as the horror frog,
the hairy frog has the ability to break its own bones,
and push them through its toepads
like makeshift claws when threatened.
When you combine that with the fact
that males sprout horrifyingly ugly hair-like threads
made of skin and arteries during mating season,
you can see how it got its name of the horror frog.
Interestingly, scientists aren't exactly sure
how the bone retracts, but it's been hypothesized
that the claws later retract passively
while the damaged tissue regenerates.
This frog's just full of all kinds of sexy.
Ladies?
Number seven is the bombardier beetle.
The bombardier beetle has the power
to spray boiling hot liquid
out of its backside when threatened.
When it's in danger, the beetle triggers
an internal chemical reaction between
hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone.
This creates a superheated noxious chemical
that sprays out of the tip of its abdomen
that's sure to scare off any offender.
The damage caused can be fatal
to attacking insects and other small creatures,
and is very painful to human skin.
This might sound gross to you, but be honest.
If you could spray a little something something
at a person you don't like, you would do it.
Of course they would throw you in the loony bin,
but it'd be worth it.
Number eight is the pistol shrimp.
Yet another small but mighty creature,
the pistol shrimp is known for
producing lethal acoustic pressure.
It belongs to the alpheidae family
known for having one claw much larger than the others
that is capable of producing a very loud snapping sound.
In the case of the pistol shrimp,
it's able to snap its claw shut at such a high velocity,
that it creates a bubble of force at 97 kilometers an hour
that reaches a temperature of 4700 degrees Celsius.
So if you ever see one of these
cute little guys in a tank somewhere,
don't go poking your finger around
trying to play with it because it'll sonic boom
that bitch right off your hand.
I don't play.
Number nine is the platypus.
Although the platypus might look
like the unholy offspring of a duck and a beaver,
it does have a really cool power.
The platypus has the power of electrolocation,
meaning that it can actually sense
electrical signals in its prey's muscles.
This makes it very difficult for its prey to get away
because the more that it runs
the more electrical signals it generates
and the easier it is for the platypus to track it.
It's ability is due to its bill
which is filled with 60,000 mechanoreceptors
and 40,000 electroreceptors.
In addition, the male platypus has a spur on its hind foot
that delivers a venom capable of causing
severe pain in humans and death in smaller animals.
And number ten, the axolotl.
The axolotl whose name translates into water monster
has the ability of extreme regeneration
meaning that it can regrow almost
every single part of its body.
Although many animals have the ability
to regrow parts of their bodies,
the axolotl has the ability to not only
regrow injured limbs but much more complex organs
like eyes, heart, lungs, and even its own brain.
In fact, they are even able to rebuild themselves
by accepting spare parts of other
axolotls including entire heads.
Of course science has been studying them
by slicing them up and putting them back together
in an attempt to figure out exactly
how they regenerate the way that they do
in hopes of one day helping humanity.
It's like nature's little Frankenstein.
And that's it for this time guys.
Even though they didn't make it into this video,
there were some honorable mentions
such as the pit viper snake, the alpine ibex mountain goat,
and the frog hopper insect, all of which
have some pretty cool powers of their own.
As always, if you'd like to add me to Facebook and Twitter
or check out my second channel, the links to those
will be in the description below
along with all my other social networking sites
and I will see you back here next Saturday
with a brand new video.
Peace!
Hello, I am the mantis shrimp
and I would like to say welcome to the outro screen!
Hey guys, thanks for checking out my new video.
I really appreciate it.
If you enjoyed it, please remember
to click the big red subscribe button below
to subscribe to my channel.
I release a video every Saturday.
And while you're at it, if you feel like it,
feel free to click the like button,
share this on Facebook, Twitter.
All of that stuff really helps.
I really appreciate it.
I hope you guys have a great Saturday?
Yep, today's Saturday.
And I will see you back here.
I had a little brain fart.
And I will see you back here next weekend with a new video.
Bye!