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If you think humans are awesome, you haven’t seen enough animals until now.
If you think humans are strange, animals are stranger.
Just because we can build rockets and leave the planet when we want, doesn’t make us the most special species. There are plenty of animals that are unique and have abilities that have helped us humans in making our lives more comfortable – through medicine, genetics and chemistry.
Let’s take a look at the Avengers of the animal kingdom.
1. Snakes – Moving at superspeed that no one in animal kingdom can dodge or replicate
Snakes move too fast. Some snake strikes last only about 40 milliseconds. In comparision, humans take 200 milliseconds to blink – too slow.
In the amount of time you took to blink, a viper can bite you 3 times already.
There are just two or three species that can move as fast – the mongoose, the secretary bird and cassowaries.
If humans moved this fast – You would simply black out. We cannot move this fast. Forces of almost 10Gs will be on our bodies – more than a rocket launch.
2. Jellyfish – power of immortality
Let’s get it clear – not all jellyfish are immortal. And even this immortality is biological, they are not invulnerable. The Turritopsis dohrnii species of the jellyfish can revert back to the “childhood” stage of their life as soon as they get old.
And they can do this forever. The only thing that can kill them is all of the normal things – disease, predators, climate. But until all that is hunky dory – they are immortal.
If humans could do this – You could revert back to your child state, and live through the dastardly period of puberty and adulthood again, and if you were wise enough – you would do it right this time.
3. Sea cucumber – can turn into liquid state as and when it wants
Sea cucumbers can turn their whole bodies into almost liquid on demand. They use this technique to escape predators through the narrow cracks in the seabed.
They are also known to drop their vital organs as distraction mechanism. That way they can escape and regenerate the organs.
If humans could do it – You could get through tiny holes and cracks in walls – just like the villain terminator. Also, if you were chased by a murderer, you could just remove your heart and chuck it at him – then grow one back in a few days.
4. Lyrebird – that can mimic car engines and human voices
It has the most complex of all vocal cords in the bird family – even better than parrots. They can mimic human voices, a car engine, and even a chainsaw!
It can also mimic other bird calls, and use its superpower to scare off predators.
If humans could do it – You could sing like Lata Mangeshkar and sound like Amitabh Bachchan at the same time.
5. Hyenas – can digest bones and anthrax
Hyenas have strong jaws and teeth and the highest bite strength of any animal on the planet. But did you know that they have stomachs of steel? They can easily digest bones and even digest meat that has lethal bio and chemical poisons – like anthrax.
If humans could do it – You would be eating chicken – bones and all. Also, no problem with undercooked meat and swine flu crap.
6. Eels – electric shock and poisonous blood
We have all heard of the jolting electricity they can give to the prey. Turns out they are not just walking electric accidents. Their blood is also toxic. If you ate an eel, you would be very very sick, and could almost die.
If humans could do it – There would be no vampire legends, that’s for sure. No Twilight books or movies. Win!
7. Albatross – can fly over 3 million kilometers in lifetime
Albatrosses are known for flying incredible distances. They can fly up to 100,000 kilometers in a single year! An albatross in 1956 was recorded to have flown over 4 million kilometers!
That is like going to the moon and coming back 10 times! Or 100 times around the world!
If humans could do it – Visiting your friend abroad would be easy. There would not be any long distance relationships, and no stupid expensive air tickets anymore!
8. Mountain goats – can climb anything
Some of these goats have even been found on Mount Everest, strolling like it is mid summer there. They also scale steep slopes like it is nothing.
If humans could do it – You could do rope climbing without the ropes on steep cliffs.
9. Naked mole rat – cancer what?
They are immune to cancer, and are the only mammals to be immune to it. They also do not feel any pain. They are being studied by scientists so that their anti-cancer power can be used to cure humans.
If humans could do it – We would be cancer free. There wouldn’t be any smoking-free zones, and you could stand in the sun for however long you could without fearing for skin cancer.
10. Basilisk lizard – can walk and run on water
It can technically run on water without breaking the water tension and drowning. They have very tiny folds of skin on the pads of their feet that creat tiny air bubbles and help them run on water.
If humans could do it – You could run almost 100 meters on water – if you maintained your speed that is.
11. Octopuses – genius escape artists
They are the most intelligent invertebrae on the planet. Scientists also think that octopuses are the first intelligent species on the planet 400 million years ago. Octopuses can hunt, creep up on prey, disjoint their limbs, spray ink to escape and also have camouflage.
If humans could do it – We could do it all. We could be hidden in plain sight. We could cut our arm off and grow a new one, and we would have an infinite supply of ink for our fountain pens!
12. Flatworm – can cut it into two parts and the two parts will be whole
Flatworms can be cut in half and both the halves will grow up to be a full flatworm. And better still, the half cut body without the head gets the memory of the other half.
Their memory is passed in genes!
If humans could do it – You could cut yourself in half and there would be two of you! No attendance problems in college anymore.
13. Black swallower fish – can eat prey 10 times its weight
They have highly elastic stomachs and can swallow up to 2 times their length and 10 times their weight. Regardless to say, they are very heavy eaters.
If humans could do it – You could eat an alligator or a whole cow or a horse and be happy. You would look horribly bloated and would not be able to walk, but that is not even the concern here. You ate a cow. You are done for.
14. Geobacter – literally can eat electricity
Yes, you read that right – this particular bacteria feed on electrons – literally. Scientists have put them on electrodes and they have thrived and grown.
If humans could do it – You could just walk up to an electric socket and put your finger in to get your daily recharge of food. Or just walk around with a solar charger. Lightning storms would be like red bull to you.
Nature is incredible and our best teacher and there is so much more to learn from it.
Live long and prosper.
Like a Jellyfish.
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