Electric eels
The name of the electric eel tells you its special ability perfectly. This formidable sea-dweller is able to generate an electric shock through the nerves of its skin in order to shock creatures that come in unwanted contact with them. The shocks an electric eel can generate can be up to 600 volts, which is enough to severely damage a human’s organs – yet remarkably, the eel itself is unharmed.
Humpback whales
Human beings require pretty advanced technology in order to communicate with one another from kilometres away. Humpback whales have this ability built in! These whales, noted for being among the most intelligent animals in the world, use complex songs to communicate specific meanings to other humpback whales which can be heard up to 8,000 kilometres away.
Octopuses
Octopuses are not only incredibly intelligent creatures, but they have some impressive abilities that seem like superpowers. They are able to change both the colour and texture of their skin to stand out from or blend into the environment around them. The octopus’ ability to produce clouds of ink is also an impressive one that helps in protecting them from predators in the ocean.
Camels
Camels are sometimes forced to walk long distances through arid climates in order to reach places of refuge. On these treks they are not able to access sufficient food and water. The only reason that camels are able to do this is because they have something most animals don’t: humps. A camel’s hump is comprised almost entirely of fat. The animals utilise these fat supplies to supplement the time that they go without food and water.
Platypuses
The platypus is a marsupial and one of the only egg-laying mammals. While this makes them special, it’s not particularly impressive. Their real hidden talent comes from their ability to detect the electric fields around other animals. This allows the platypus to find prey in dark and murky waters and to hide from potential predators without too much effort.
Poison dart frogs
Bright coloured animals in nature often have their colour to warn predators that they are poisonous and/or dangerous. This is the case with poison dart frogs. They are small frogs that secrete incredibly potent poison through their skin. When a predator bites a poison dart frog, it can be paralysed or in some cases even killed.
Honeybees
We all know how important bees are when it comes to how pollination affects how nature functions. Other than helping the planet and providing humans with tasty sweet honey, honeybees are amazingly adept at communicating with one another in a way that’s pretty close to language. This communication occurs through dance and pheromones in ways that get pretty sophisticated. This is generally used to tell other bees where good sources of food are.
Mantis shrimp
The mantis shrimp is an animal with powers we humans can only dream of. First off, it can see a much wider spectrum of colours than us, but that’s not all. This shrimp can punch the water around it as fast as a bullet – literally! Because of the sheer force of this motion, it boils the water around the shrimp, causing a shockwave and light to be generated at that spot. It sounds too cool to be real!
Gecko
Many lizards have grippy feet, but none quite so powerful as those of the gecko. These lizards have sticky bristles all over their toepads which allow their feet to grip to smooth surfaces. Because of their sticky feet, geckos are even able to climb dry glass surfaces. Humans would need some pretty fancy technology or Spider-Man powers in order to do the same
Jellyfish
Being able to sting people with their tentacles already makes jellyfish pretty cool, but they get even cooler than that, for these sea creatures are practically immortal! When a jellyfish is close to death, whether that be through starvation or injury, they can revert to the form of a polyp, which is the form a jellyfish takes when it has just been born. This effectively lets the jellyfish start its life all over again, making them real-world phoenixes.
