These Superheroes of The Natural World Can Do The Impossible

Bright Side

Let's dive into the world of animal record-breakers and superpowers. First up, we've got the giant tortoise, which holds the title for longevity, living up to a whopping 200 years! Then, there's the mighty Greenland shark, known for its incredible lifespan of over 400 years, making it the longest-living vertebrate on the planet. And don't forget about animals with superpowers! From the electric eel's shocking abilities to the chameleon's camouflaging skills, the animal kingdom is full of extraordinary talents that continue to astonish us. Whether it's extreme longevity or extraordinary abilities, these creatures remind us of the incredible diversity and wonder of life on Earth.   Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00 Glass sponges are weird little creatures that sit in one place for thousands of years.

00:06 From their favorite spot under the sea, they witnessed the first Europeans crossing over

00:10 to the Americas.

00:11 They can live up to 15,000 years!

00:14 And what's even cooler is that they can control their aging process.

00:18 Speed it up or slow it down.

00:21 They have a glass-like exoskeleton for protection.

00:25 Lobsters can grow back a limb if they lose it, and they're basically immortal.

00:29 They produce an unlimited number of enzymes that keeps their DNA young forever.

00:34 And they just keep on growing.

00:36 That means they outgrow their own shells.

00:39 They have to shed their exoskeleton every now and then and upgrade to a bigger one.

00:44 The largest lobster ever caught was 44 pounds off the coast of Nova Scotia.

00:50 Scientists think this large lobster was around 100 years old.

00:54 It was around when Edison invented the phonograph.

00:57 This next creature is a mix between a jellyfish and a tree branch.

01:02 Each end of the hydra has a ringed foot, and it spends its days chilling by lakes and rivers.

01:08 Its tentacles grab onto tasty snacks that swim past it.

01:12 So what's the secret to its immortality?

01:15 That's something everyone wants to know.

01:18 The hydra has the ability to renew its stem cells.

01:22 Scientists have been trying to do that for years.

01:24 They can actually slow down their aging process.

01:28 These little sea creatures are red sea urchins.

01:31 They sit on seaweed in shallow waters and are immortal.

01:34 Well, we haven't been studying them long enough to know for sure.

01:38 But scientists say they only grow in size, not in age.

01:42 What?

01:43 Well, they sort of stay like little baby urchins, but grow in size.

01:47 Adult, baby urchin, ok.

01:50 These little babies can reach around 100 years old, even 200.

01:54 The slowest on the list?

01:56 The giant tortoise.

01:57 It can reach 200 years old.

02:00 And one of the oldest is Jonathan.

02:02 He's technically the oldest crawling land animal.

02:05 He was born in 1832 and lives it up on a remote island called St. Helena.

02:12 Jonathan's been through a lot.

02:14 He's seen the very first American skyscraper, the Eiffel Tower.

02:18 Oh yeah, he's also lived through every single World Series, starting when he was 71 years

02:25 old.

02:26 Now he can't see too well and he's lost his sense of smell.

02:29 But he's still going strong!

02:34 Back to the oceans and the Greenland shark.

02:36 It's been known to be the longest-living vertebrate and can live more than 400 years.

02:42 Swimming around for that long in the deep, dark, cold ocean means these sharks are tough.

02:47 They're able to withstand insane water pressure.

02:51 Sharks are one of the only creatures today that haven't been affected too much by evolution.

02:56 Many sharks have been around since the dinosaurs and haven't changed much.

03:01 Scientists found out that they grow around half an inch per year.

03:04 So with a little bit of quick math, they can easily find out the age of these tough sharks.

03:11 Imagine seeing a shark that's older than the USA!

03:15 This next creature is probably the most durable, indestructible, and cutest on the list.

03:20 It's called a tardigrade, but scientists nickname it "water bear" because I guess

03:26 it looks like one.

03:27 But it's not exactly bear-sized.

03:30 It has 8 legs and hands with a strange little nose.

03:33 And these bizarre microscopic creatures are indestructible.

03:40 They're known to live in the most extreme places on the planet.

03:44 They're fine with temperatures as high as 300 and as low as -330.

03:49 Volcanoes, frozen desert nights, they can even handle radiation and massive amounts

03:56 of pressure in the deepest parts of the ocean.

03:59 They can even survive the vacuum in space.

04:02 No tiny little spacesuit or anything.

04:04 That would be cute enough.

04:06 So far, they've survived 10 days on the outside of a spaceship, but they could probably

04:11 do longer.

04:13 Tardigrades might be able to outlive humans if there's some sort of worldwide catastrophe.

04:19 Microscopic organisms in charge of the planet.

04:22 Wonder what that would look like?

04:24 Whether it's all the volcanoes erupting at once, or another ice age, or even another

04:29 pesky asteroid.

04:32 Tardigrades probably wouldn't even notice.

04:34 Scientists are studying them to see if they can help us with some next-level biotech.

04:39 Just for fun, here's the mayfly.

04:42 This poor little insect doesn't even make it past 24 hours on average.

04:46 Females and males can make it to a whopping 2 days old.

04:50 Talk about living in the moment!

04:52 These little flies grow in swarms and are known to have one of the shortest lifespans

04:56 of any creature.

04:57 But as a species, well, they've been around for hundreds of millions of years.

05:03 Jellyfish have discovered the fountain of youth, and surprise, surprise, it's been

05:07 inside them all along.

05:10 Not inspirational poster style, but literally, it's always been inside them.

05:15 Jellyfish are able to reverse their aging process whenever they want.

05:20 Imagine you're swimming along and then you think to yourself, "Gee, I kinda wanna be

05:23 8 again."

05:24 And poof, there you are.

05:26 Who wouldn't want to go back to being 8?

05:30 That's how jellyfish stay young and live stress-free.

05:33 These brainless and boneless creatures can turn the clock back any time they want as

05:38 long as no one bothers them.

05:39 They're super chill, just floating in whatever direction the current takes them.

05:44 Like, go with the flow?

05:47 One big-mouthed buffalo made it till 112 years old.

05:51 Still, the world's oldest creatures live in the sea.

05:54 There are deep-sea sponges that are 11,000 years old, and they're safe and sound.

06:00 This fish has incredible gills, which lets it hold its breath for over 4 minutes.

06:06 Meet the coffinfish, a weird-looking but tough animal.

06:10 They're also famous as sea toads.

06:12 They actually look much more like toads, not classic fish with fins and scales.

06:17 They can also inflate because of the seawater they gulp, so they expand just like a balloon.

06:23 In fact, this super ability lets this fish hold its breath for several minutes because

06:28 they actually get the oxygen from the water they keep inside.

06:32 But the absolute champion is the human.

06:35 The world's champion can survive holding the breath for over 20 minutes.

06:41 There are some animals that make their own clothes.

06:44 Sponge crabs make a sort of hat from sponges to protect them from underwater bad guys.

06:50 To figure out how the crabs decided on their outfit, researchers gave them some foam sponges

06:55 that were different in sizes.

06:57 The bigger the crab is, the bigger the sponge it chooses.

07:01 They used various techniques to get this perfect shape, starting from cutting out a small hole

07:05 for the head, and then they see if the size fits them.

07:09 If they're good to go, they continue to cut and dig into that sponge until it becomes

07:14 a perfect hat.

07:16 Recently, researchers have spotted a moth that would drink birds' tears while they

07:21 sleep.

07:22 So far, there were only 3 registered cases of animals feeding on other animals' tears.

07:27 These were some Amazon butterflies, solitary bees, and moths.

07:32 The regular diet mostly includes nectar, but it does lack essential salts that aren't

07:37 that easy to find elsewhere.

07:39 Not only do they drink birds' tears, they also drink turtles' tears, crocodiles'

07:44 tears, and those of many mammals found in the Amazon jungle.

07:48 Really, crocodile tears?

07:50 Some sea dwellers can emit red light.

07:53 For example, the stoplight loosejaw fish uses it to catch dinner.

07:58 Sharks don't see the red light, so the loosejaw fish can spot any red shrimp emitting pulses

08:03 of red light and catches it without scaring the dinner away.

08:07 Mammals can glow too.

08:08 A flying squirrel glows under UV light, emitting pink light.

08:13 It happens because they're able to absorb light and emit it back in another wavelength.

08:19 The platypus may not have the largest cheek pouches, but they're definitely the weirdest.

08:25 They keep gravel inside those pouches to help mash the food they normally eat – worms,

08:30 shellfish, snails.

08:32 These guys are toothless, so gravel comes in handy when it comes to chewing the food.

08:37 It works just like a blender.

08:38 Makes you wonder what they use for the mouthwash, huh?

08:43 If humans had the same incredible cheeks just like chipmunks have, we'd be able to transport

08:48 our groceries right in our mouths.

08:51 In fact, chipmunks can transport something as large as themselves in their oversized

08:56 mouth luggage sections.

08:58 Hamsters have the same superpower too, and can even carry their young in the mouth in

09:02 case of the need to run away.

09:04 A baby carrot, which seems tiny for a human but significantly large for a hamster, can

09:10 disappear without a trace in between those huge cheeks.

09:15 The Mariana snailfish, which logically lives in the Mariana Trench, is relatively small.

09:21 It's as large as two medium candy bars.

09:24 Despite the size, they can easily withstand the pressure that equals 1,600 elephants standing

09:30 on it.

09:31 This fish has a unique body structure.

09:34 For example, it has some gaps in the skull.

09:37 If their skull was uniform and had no holes, it would never withstand the pressure in the

09:41 depths of the Mariana Trench.

09:43 Plus, their cartilage skeleton is soft and flexible.

09:47 They also have no actual eyes, but they really don't need them since they live in complete

09:52 darkness in the world's deepest trench.

09:56 Meet the Pinocchio frog.

09:58 Not hard to guess, their nose can grow in size in the blink of an eye in various situations.

10:04 Whenever they feel danger coming, it gets larger.

10:07 When these frogs are calm and feel safe, it goes back to normal.

10:11 It may also enlongate when they want to attract mates.

10:14 And probably when they croak a lot.

10:17 Just kidding.

10:18 Do you enjoy it when it rains?

10:21 You probably grab a cup of hot chocolate, cover yourself up with a blanket, and sit

10:26 on the windowsill, looking at the drops dripping down the window.

10:30 If you like it, you're definitely not a Myanmar snub-nosed monkey that's been recently

10:35 discovered, guess where, in Myanmar.

10:38 Their nostrils are so upturned and exposed to the outer world that they sneeze every

10:42 time it rains.

10:44 But if you were in a choir, you have something in common.

10:47 Snub-nosed monkeys like singing together.

10:52 Amazon pink river dolphins aren't born pink.

10:55 They're young or always gray, but the older they get, the pinker they turn.

11:00 It's like people having wrinkles when they age, and these guys simply get a different

11:05 color.

11:06 Hey, I like to get a little pink instead of those smile lines.

11:10 Ah, isn't it a cute horse standing over there?

11:13 But wait, is it sleeping?

11:16 In reality, the animal you see is just dozing.

11:19 It'll still need to lie down to have proper REM, which stands for rapid eye movement sleep.

11:25 In people, this is the stage when we dream.

11:28 Your arms and legs can't move during REMS.

11:30 If they did, you'd start to act your dreams out and could accidentally hurt yourself.

11:35 But back to that horse.

11:37 Even though it's only dozing while standing up, that's still an impressive feat.

11:41 You won't be able to repeat it.

11:43 Horses have a system of tendons and ligaments that help them stay upright with ease.

11:48 The major joints in the legs get locked, and the animal can relax and catch some Zs without

11:53 worrying about crashing to the ground.

11:56 Oh, by the way, the amount of REM sleep horses need is surprisingly small.

12:02 Usually it's a series of short intervals, 2 or 3 hours a day in total.

12:06 That's why they don't have to lie down often.

12:09 But some animals do it just because they feel more comfortable that way.

12:14 Horses take naps while standing because sleeping isn't safe enough when they're lying down.

12:18 It's rather tricky for a horse to get up from the ground, and it's a waste of precious

12:23 time.

12:24 While a horse is struggling to get to its feet, some meat-eater can tackle the animal

12:28 down and, uh, make it its dinner.

12:31 That's why horses only lie down for short periods of time.

12:34 They also have a special lookout system when one animal is watching over the others while

12:39 they're napping.

12:40 Each member of the herd gets to play the role of the watch horse.

12:44 Anyway, not only horses, but also zebras, elephants, giraffes, some birds like flamingos,

12:51 and sometimes even cows can take naps while standing up.

12:55 But then, why not humans?

12:57 Well, to pull off this trick, your legs would have to be aligned vertically and your knees

13:02 be able to lock in place.

13:04 Then you wouldn't need much effort to keep yourself upright.

13:07 But it's not how your body's built.

13:10 If you're exhausted, you might fall asleep while standing up.

13:14 But you'd immediately wake up, and this would prevent your body from hitting the floor.

13:18 Your muscles start to gradually relax during each next stage of sleep.

13:23 But very soon, after you doze off, they won't be able to hold you upright anymore.

13:28 Shh, it's a quiet winter night, and the bird perched on the top tree branch seems

13:34 to be sleeping.

13:35 And then there's some noise.

13:37 A human would hardly notice it, so quiet it is.

13:41 But the owl, and that's what the bird is, has perfect hearing.

13:45 It's even more important for this creature than good eyesight.

13:48 In the blink of an eye, the bird moves.

13:50 Oh, it looks like its head is facing backwards!

13:54 Owls are so flexible, they can twist their heads in an almost full circle.

13:59 These birds have fixed eye sockets, so it means their eyeballs don't rotate and they

14:04 somehow have to make up for it.

14:07 Twisting the head up to 270 degrees is only possible because it's connected to the body

14:13 in a particular, very clever way.

14:16 And the tissues and blood vessels where the neck meets the body can't snap.

14:19 They're designed to flex.

14:21 Owls also have many vertebrae, tiny bones that make up the spine and neck.

14:26 It's another thing that helps them perform their head-swiveling trick.

14:30 You have a totally different neck structure, but it still serves all your needs.

14:35 Humans have spherical eyes and can move them freely, unlike owls.

14:39 You simply don't need your neck to turn all the way around.

14:43 But yes, it would be a great party trick!

14:47 A goblin shark is swimming unhurriedly through the deep sea when it notices a yummy-looking

14:53 fish.

14:54 The shark starts to inch closer to its future meal.

14:57 But the fish notices the hunter and tries to dart away.

15:01 And then, like in a horror movie, the larger animal thrusts its jaw out of its mouth and

15:06 grabs the fish.

15:07 The goblin shark's terrifying jaws are attached to elastic ligaments.

15:12 They can unfold from its snout for up to 3 inches.

15:15 It allows the animal to catapult its mouth forward to catch an unfortunate fish or squid

15:21 or whatnot.

15:22 If only your mouth could do the same, then you'd be able to munch on stuff dangling

15:27 7 inches away from your face without using your hands to grab the food.

15:32 And no, we're not so concerned about table manners here!

15:35 That's it for today!

15:36 So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your

15:41 friends!

15:42 want more just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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