Humans are the dominant species on planet earth, however, besides our brain, most of our other senses or abilities are rather uninteresting when compared to other animals. For instance, the human heart is about the size of a curled up fist and weighs 11-12 ounces. A whale’s heart, on the other hand, is almost 100 times bigger and weighs 6,400 ounces. Read on to explore even more interesting abilities in the animal kingdom.
Immortal Jellyfish
Besides some single-celled organisms, biological immortality is rare in higher organisms. But one small species of jellyfish, the Turritopsisdohrnii, exhibits a very unusual form of immortality.
When this jellyfish is dying or injured, it can revert back to its polyp phase.
It can do this countless times, thereby, acquiring biological immortality. This is the equivalent of humans growing up until they are sexually mature, then reverting back to a baby. However, the jellyfish is still vulnerable to predation.
Pistol Shrimp
Imagine if your finger snap was powerful enough to create temperatures nearly as hot as the surface of the sun. Or loud enough that it can rupture a human eardrum!
The pistol shrimp is one such animal that can accomplish both but is hardly longer than an inch or two. This small crustacean is characterized by asymmetrical claws, one much larger than the other. This is due to the fact that one of the claws is much more powerful and it is used for killing or stunning prey.
When the pistol shrimp snaps its claw underwater, it creates cavitation or an air bubble. As the bubble collapses, the temperature produced inside reaches 4,700 °C. In comparison, the surface temperature of the sun is estimated to be about 5,500 °C. However, this temperature lasts only for fractions of a second, hence it does not disintegrate everything around the shrimp. The Pistol Shrimp also competes for the title of loudest animal, producing an extremely loud snap, reaching 218 decibels. This is louder than a jet taking off, which has been measured at 150 decibels.
Mimic Octopus
You probably would have guessed this octopuses’ special ability by its name. The mimic octopus is a small cephalopod, with adults growing no bigger than 2 feet. In the wild, this species of octopus is able to imitate the shape and appearance of local species, which are usually poisonous or venomous.
Marine biologists have documented that the mimic octopus is able to imitate at least 15 different species of animals ranging from stonefish, sea snakes and jellyfish to lionfish, flatfish and sole fish. Besides being adept at mimicking other animals, it can also mimic its background, essentially blending in.
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