Living forever, shedding old heads and growing new ones, achieving immortality… these are the extraordinary capabilities of these “immortal” animal species.
The animal kingdom is vast and expansive. Few realize that there are many creatures on Earth that possess extraordinary powers akin to the superheroes found in comic books or movies that humans always dream of having…
Let’s take a look at some of the remarkable animals often likened to “immortal” beings in nature below.
1. Forever Young
The East African mole rat may appear ugly, with its wrinkled pink skin, hairless body, and nearly blind eyes, but it ranks among the longest-lived rodents.
Mole rats have the ability to effectively eliminate damaged proteins while retaining stable, high-quality proteins. As a result, they do not exhibit the typical signs of aging or cognitive decline.
Mole rats can live up to 26 years or more, and remarkably, they can still reproduce at a very old age.
Other factors contributing to the longevity of this mole rat species include their very low metabolic rate, which helps reduce cell degradation. Thus, at any stage of life, East African mole rats appear to be very vigorous.
Scientists have studied the tissues of East African mole rats and discovered that these tiny burrowing rodents produce a unique substance called hyaluronan. This compound protects them from cancer and many other dangerous diseases on Earth.
2. Shedding Old Heads and Growing New Ones
The Planarian flatworm possesses an extraordinary ability: it can regenerate a severed head, remarkably retaining its memories in the new brain.
These strange creatures typically inhabit aquatic environments or moist terrestrial habitats. Thanks to their flexible, widespread stem cells, when severed, they can develop into a complete worm. This ability makes them an ideal model for immortality.
Moreover, even though the severed body part lacks a head, after regeneration, the Planarian worm retains memories of its surrounding environment, obstacles, and learned movement patterns.
3. Achieving Immortality
Known scientifically as Tardigrades, water bears are tiny creatures that swim in water, possessing eight legs. They were first discovered in 1773 by German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goetze. They are called water bears due to their stout bodies and slow-moving nature, reminiscent of a bear’s gait.
Adult water bears can reach lengths of 1.5mm, while smaller ones are about 0.1mm long.
Beyond their peculiar appearance, water bears are renowned for being the most resilient creatures on the planet. They do not die even when boiled, frozen, subjected to extreme pressure, or even desiccated. Furthermore, these organisms can survive in a completely dried state for many years and then revive as if nothing happened.
In fact, they can withstand high levels of solar radiation or gamma radiation, hundreds of times the lethal limit for humans. Water bears can survive for up to ten years without food or water.
Remarkably, they only require 3% of the usual water to reproduce effectively. Consequently, water bears have been discovered all over the world, from the peaks of the Himalayas to the depths of the ocean at 4,000 meters.
Moreover, these bizarre creatures can withstand the harsh conditions of space. They adapt to cosmic radiation, the vacuum of space, and freezing temperatures, becoming the first organisms to survive in outer space without protective equipment.
