Today, October 6, is World Animal Habitat Day. In honor of this holiday, we offer you a selection of 5 animals that have chosen places with the most extreme conditions as their home.
Living organisms are distributed throughout our planet, and many of them live in places with extreme conditions. Such organisms are called extremophiles. These include bacteria, archaea and only a few animals. We talk about the latter in this article. 1. Pompeii worms. These deep-sea polychaete worms, no more than 13 cm in length, are one of the most resistant animals to high temperatures. Therefore, it is not surprising that they can be found exclusively at hydrothermal springs at the bottom of the oceans (), from which highly mineralized hot water comes. Thus, for the first time, a colony of Pompeii worms was discovered in the early 1980s at hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean near the Galapagos Islands, and later, in 1997, near Costa Rica and again at hydrothermal vents.
Typically, the Pompeian worm places its body in the tube-like structures of black smokers, where the temperature reaches 80°C, and it sticks its head with feather-like structures outward, where the temperature is lower (about 22°C). Scientists have long sought to understand how the Pompeian worm manages to withstand such extreme temperatures. Studies have shown that special bacteria help him in this, which form a layer up to 1 cm thick on the back of the worm, reminiscent of a woolen blanket. In a symbiotic relationship, the worms secrete mucus from tiny glands on their backs that feed the bacteria, which in turn insulate the animal's body from high temperatures. It is believed that these bacteria have special proteins that make it possible to protect the worms and the bacteria themselves from high temperatures. 2. Gynaephora caterpillar. Greenland and Canada are home to the moth Gynaephora groenlandica, known for its ability to withstand extremely low temperatures. Thus, living in cold climates, the caterpillars of G. groenlandica, while hibernating, can tolerate temperatures down to -70° C! This becomes possible thanks to compounds (glycerol and betaine) that the caterpillars begin to synthesize at the end of summer, when the temperature drops. These substances prevent the formation of ice crystals in the animal's cells and thereby prevent it from freezing to death.
However, this is not the only feature of the species. While most other moth species take about a month to develop from egg to adult, G. groenlandica can take anywhere from 7 to 14 years to develop! Such a slow growth of Gynaephora groenlandica is explained by the extreme environmental conditions in which the insect has to develop. Interestingly, the caterpillars of Gynaephora groenlandica spend most of their lives in hibernation, and the rest of the time (about 5% of their lives) they devote to eating vegetation, for example, the buds of the Arctic willow. 3. Oil flies. They are the only insects known to science that can live in and feed on crude oil. This species was first discovered at the La Brea Ranch in California, where several tar lakes are located.
Authors: Michael S. Caterino & Cristina Sandoval. As is known, oil is a very toxic substance for most animals. However, as larvae, oil flies swim near the oil surface and breathe through special spiracles that protrude above the oil film. Flies eat large amounts of oil, but mainly insects that fall into it. Sometimes the intestines of flies are completely filled with oil. Until now, scientists have not described the mating behavior of these flies, nor where they lay their eggs. However, it is assumed that this does not occur within the oil basin.
Bitumen Lake at La Brea Ranch in California. Interestingly, the temperature of the oil in the pool can reach 38°C, but the larvae easily tolerate these changes. 4. Artemia. Located in the northwestern part of the American state of Utah, the Great Salt Lake has a salinity reaching 270 ppm (for comparison: the saltiest sea in the World Ocean - the Red Sea - has a salinity of only 41 ppm). The extremely high salinity of the reservoir makes it unsuitable for life for all living creatures in it, except for the larvae of shore flies, some algae and brine shrimp - tiny crustaceans.
The latter, by the way, live not only in this lake, but also in other bodies of water, the salinity of which is not lower than 60 ppm. This feature allows Artemia to avoid cohabitation with most species of predators, such as fish. These crustaceans have a segmented body with a broad leaf-like appendage at the end, and usually do not exceed 12 millimeters in length. They are widely used as food for aquarium fish and are also bred in aquariums. 5. Tardigrades. These tiny creatures, no more than 1 millimeter in length, are the most heat-resistant animals. They live in different places on the planet. For example, they were found in hot springs, where temperatures reached 100°C, and on the top of the Himalayas, under a layer of thick ice, where temperatures were much below zero. And soon it was discovered that these animals are able not only to withstand extreme temperatures, but also to survive without food and water for more than 10 years!
Scientists have found that the ability to suspend their metabolism helps them in this, entering a state of cryptobiosis, when chemical processes in the animal’s body approach zero levels. In this state, the water content in the tardigrade's body can drop to 1%! And in addition, the ability to do without water largely depends on the high level of a special substance in the body of this animal - the non-reducing sugar trehalose, which protects membranes from destruction. Interestingly, although tardigrades are capable of living in places with extreme conditions, many species can be found in milder environments, such as lakes, ponds or meadows. Tardigrades are most common in moist environments, mosses and lichens.
Some organisms have a special advantage that allows them to withstand the most extreme conditions where others simply cannot cope. Such abilities include resistance to enormous pressure, extreme temperatures, and others. These ten creatures from our list will give odds to anyone who dares to claim the title of the most resilient organism.
10. Himalayan jumping spider
The Asian wild goose is famous for flying at altitudes of over 6.5 kilometers, while the highest human settlement is at 5,100 meters in the Peruvian Andes. However, the high-altitude record does not belong to geese, but to the Himalayan jumping spider (Euophrys omnisuperstes). Living at an altitude of over 6,700 meters, this spider feeds mainly on small insects carried there by gusts of wind. A key feature of this insect is its ability to survive in conditions of almost complete absence of oxygen.
9. Giant Kangaroo Jumper
Usually, when we think about the animals that can survive the longest without water, the camel immediately comes to mind. But camels can survive without water in the desert for only 15 days. Meanwhile, you will be surprised to learn that there is an animal in the world that can live its entire life without drinking a drop of water. The giant kangaroo hopper is a close relative of beavers. Their average lifespan is usually between 3 and 5 years. They usually obtain moisture from food, eating various seeds. In addition, these rodents do not sweat, thereby avoiding additional water loss. These animals usually live in Death Valley, and are currently endangered.
Since heat in water is more efficiently transferred to organisms, a water temperature of 50 degrees Celsius will be much more dangerous than the same air temperature. For this reason, predominantly bacteria thrive in underwater hot springs, which cannot be said about multicellular life forms. However, there is a special type of worm called paralvinella sulfincola that happily makes its home in areas where the water reaches temperatures of 45-55 degrees. Scientists conducted an experiment where one of the walls of the aquarium was heated, as a result it turned out that the worms preferred to stay in this particular place, ignoring cooler places. It is believed that this feature was developed by the worms so that they could feast on the bacteria found in abundance in hot springs. Since they had no natural enemies before, the bacteria were relatively easy prey.
7. Greenland shark
The Greenland shark is one of the largest and least studied sharks on the planet. Despite the fact that they swim quite slowly (any amateur swimmer can overtake them), they are extremely rarely seen. This is due to the fact that this type of shark usually lives at a depth of 1200 meters. In addition, this shark is one of the most resistant to cold. She usually prefers to stay in water whose temperature ranges between 1 and 12 degrees Celsius. Because these sharks live in cold waters, they have to move extremely slowly to minimize their energy expenditure. They are indiscriminate in food and eat everything that comes their way. There are rumors that their lifespan is about 200 years, but no one has yet been able to confirm or deny it.
6. Devil's Worm
For many decades, scientists believed that only single-celled organisms could survive at great depths. In their opinion, high pressure, lack of oxygen and extreme temperatures stood in the way of multicellular creatures. But then microscopic worms were discovered at a depth of several kilometers. Named halicephalobus mephisto, after a demon from German folklore, it was discovered in water samples 2.2 kilometers below the surface from a cave in South Africa. They managed to survive extreme environmental conditions, suggesting that life may be possible on Mars and other planets in our galaxy.
5. Frogs
Some species of frogs are widely known for their ability to literally freeze throughout the winter and come back to life when spring arrives. Five species of such frogs have been found in North America, the most common of which is the common tree frog. Since tree frogs are not very strong burrowers, they simply hide under fallen leaves. They have a substance like antifreeze in their veins, and although their hearts eventually stop, it is temporary. The basis of their survival technique is the huge concentration of glucose entering the blood from the frog's liver. What's even more amazing is the fact that frogs are able to demonstrate their ability to freeze not only in the wild, but also in the laboratory, allowing scientists to reveal their secrets.
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4. Deep Sea Microbes
We all know that the deepest point in the world is the Mariana Trench. Its depth reaches almost 11 kilometers, and the pressure there exceeds atmospheric pressure 1100 times. A few years ago, scientists managed to discover giant amoebas there, which they managed to photograph using a high-resolution camera and protected by a glass sphere from the enormous pressure that reigns at the bottom. Moreover, a recent expedition sent by James Cameron himself showed that other forms of life may exist in the depths of the Mariana Trench. Samples of bottom sediments were obtained, which proved that the depression was literally teeming with microbes. This fact amazed scientists, because the extreme conditions prevailing there, as well as the enormous pressure, are far from a paradise.
3. Bdelloidea
Rotifers of the species Bdelloidea are incredibly tiny female invertebrates, usually found in fresh water. Since their discovery, no males of the species have been found, and rotifers themselves reproduce asexually, which in turn destroys their own DNA. They restore their native DNA by eating other types of microorganisms. Thanks to this ability, rotifers can withstand extreme dehydration, in fact, they are able to withstand levels of radiation that would kill most living organisms on our planet. Scientists believe that their ability to repair their DNA came about as a result of their need to survive in extremely arid environments.
2. Cockroach
There is a myth that cockroaches will be the only living organisms to survive a nuclear war. In fact, these insects can live without water or food for several weeks, and what's more, they can live for weeks without a head. Cockroaches have been around for 300 million years, outliving even the dinosaurs. The Discovery Channel conducted a series of experiments that were supposed to show whether cockroaches would survive or not under powerful nuclear radiation. As a result, it turned out that almost half of all insects were able to survive radiation of 1000 rads (such radiation can kill an adult healthy person in just 10 minutes of exposure); moreover, 10% of cockroaches survived exposure to radiation of 10,000 rads, which is equal to radiation from a nuclear explosion in Hiroshima. Unfortunately, none of these small insects survived the 100,000 rad radiation dose.
1. Tardigrades
Tiny aquatic organisms called tardigrades have proven to be the hardiest organisms on our planet. These seemingly cute animals are able to survive almost any extreme conditions, be it heat or cold, enormous pressure or high radiation. They are able to survive for some time even in space. In extreme conditions and in a state of extreme dehydration, these creatures are able to remain alive for several decades. They come to life as soon as you place them in a pond.
Some organisms, when compared with others, have a number of undeniable advantages, for example, the ability to withstand extremely high or low temperatures. There are a lot of such hardy living creatures in the world. In the article below you will get acquainted with the most amazing of them. They, without exaggeration, are able to survive even in extreme conditions.
1. Himalayan jumping spiders
Bar-headed geese are known to be among the highest flying birds in the world. They are capable of flying at an altitude of more than 6 thousand meters above the ground.
Do you know where the highest populated area on Earth is located? In Peru. This is the city of La Rinconada, located in the Andes near the border with Bolivia at an altitude of about 5100 meters above sea level.
Meanwhile, the record for the highest living creatures on planet Earth goes to the Himalayan jumping spiders Euophrys omnisuperstes ("standing above everything"), which live in nooks and crannies on the slopes of Mount Everest. Climbers found them even at an altitude of 6,700 meters. These tiny spiders feed on insects that are blown to mountain peaks by strong winds. They are the only living creatures that permanently live at such a great height, not counting, of course, some species of birds. It is also known that Himalayan jumping spiders are able to survive even in conditions of lack of oxygen.
2. Giant Kangaroo Jumper
When we are asked to name an animal that can survive without drinking water for long periods of time, the first thing that comes to mind is the camel. However, in the desert without water it can survive no more than 15 days. And no, camels do not store water reserves in their humps, as many people mistakenly believe. Meanwhile, there are still animals on Earth that live in the desert and are able to live without a single drop of water throughout their entire lives!
Giant kangaroo hoppers are relatives of beavers. Their lifespan ranges from three to five years. Giant kangaroo jumpers receive water along with their food, and they feed mainly on seeds.
Giant kangaroo jumpers, as scientists note, do not sweat at all, so they do not lose, but, on the contrary, accumulate water in the body. You can find them in Death Valley (California). Giant kangaroo hoppers are currently endangered.
3. Worms that are resistant to high temperatures
Since water conducts heat from the human body about 25 times more efficiently than air, a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius in the depths of the sea will be much more dangerous than on land. This is why bacteria thrive underwater, and not multicellular organisms that cannot withstand too high temperatures. But there are exceptions...
The marine deep-sea annelids Paralvinella sulfincola, which live near hydrothermal vents on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, are perhaps the most heat-loving living creatures on the planet. The results of an experiment conducted by scientists with heating an aquarium showed that these worms prefer to settle where the temperature reaches 45-55 degrees Celsius.
4. Greenland shark
Greenland sharks are among the largest living creatures on planet Earth, but scientists know almost nothing about them. They swim very slowly, on par with an ordinary amateur swimmer. However, it is almost impossible to see Greenland sharks in ocean waters, since they usually live at a depth of 1200 meters.
Greenland sharks are also considered the most cold-loving creatures in the world. They prefer to live in places where the temperature reaches 1-12 degrees Celsius.
Greenland sharks live in cold waters, which means they have to conserve energy; this explains the fact that they swim very slowly - at a speed of no more than two kilometers per hour. Greenland sharks are also called “sleeper sharks.” They are not picky about food: they eat whatever they can catch.
According to some scientists, the life expectancy of Greenland sharks can reach 200 years, but this has not yet been proven.
5. Devil's worms
For several decades, scientists thought that only single-celled organisms could survive at very great depths. It was believed that multicellular life forms could not live there due to lack of oxygen, pressure and high temperatures. However, just recently, researchers discovered microscopic worms at a depth of several thousand meters from the surface of the earth.
The nematodes Halicephalobus mephisto, named after a demon from German folklore, were discovered by Gaetan Borgoni and Tallis Onstott in 2011 in water samples taken at a depth of 3.5 kilometers in a cave in South Africa. Scientists have found that they show high resistance to various extreme conditions, like those roundworms that survived the Columbia space shuttle disaster that occurred on February 1, 2003. The discovery of devil worms could help expand the search for life on Mars and any other planet in our Galaxy.
6. Frogs
Scientists have noticed that some species of frogs literally freeze with the onset of winter and, thawing in the spring, return to a full life. There are five species of such frogs in North America, the most common being Rana sylvatica, or Wood Frog.
Wood frogs do not know how to burrow into the ground, so with the onset of cold weather they simply hide under fallen leaves and freeze, like everything around them. Inside the body, their natural “antifreeze” defense mechanism is triggered, and they, like a computer, go into “sleep mode”. The glucose reserves in the liver largely allow them to survive the winter. But the most amazing thing is that Wood Frogs demonstrate their amazing ability both in the wild and in laboratory conditions.
7. Deep Sea Bacteria
We all know that the deepest point of the World Ocean is the Mariana Trench, which is located at a depth of more than 11 thousand meters. At its bottom, the water pressure reaches 108.6 MPa, which is approximately 1072 times greater than normal atmospheric pressure at the level of the World Ocean. A few years ago, scientists using high-resolution cameras placed in glass spheres discovered giant amoebas in the Mariana Trench. According to James Cameron, who led the expedition, other life forms also flourish there.
Having studied water samples from the bottom of the Mariana Trench, scientists discovered a huge number of bacteria in it, which, surprisingly, actively multiplied, despite the great depth and extreme pressure.
8. Bdelloidea
Rotifers Bdelloidea are small invertebrate animals that are usually found in fresh water.
Representatives of the rotifers Bdelloidea lack males; populations are represented only by parthenogenetic females. Bdelloidea reproduce asexually, which scientists believe negatively affects their DNA. What is the best way to overcome these harmful effects? Answer: eat the DNA of other life forms. Thanks to this approach, Bdelloidea has evolved an amazing ability to withstand extreme dehydration. Moreover, they can survive even after receiving a dose of radiation that is lethal for most living organisms.
Scientists believe that Bdelloidea's ability to repair DNA was originally given to them to survive in high temperatures.
9. Cockroaches
There is a popular myth that after a nuclear war, only cockroaches will remain alive on Earth. These insects can go for weeks without food or water, but even more amazing is the fact that they can live many days after losing their heads. Cockroaches appeared on Earth 300 million years ago, even earlier than dinosaurs.
The hosts of “MythBusters” in one of the programs decided to test cockroaches for survivability in the course of several experiments. First, they exposed a certain number of insects to 1,000 rads of radiation, a dose capable of killing a healthy person in a matter of minutes. Almost half of them managed to survive. After the MythBusters increased the radiation power to 10 thousand rads (as during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima). This time, only 10 percent of the cockroaches survived. When the radiation power reached 100 thousand rads, not a single cockroach, unfortunately, managed to survive.
At first glance, it may seem that bacteria in hot springs don't live. However, nature convincingly proves that this is not so.
Everyone knows that water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius. Until recently, people believed that absolutely nothing could survive at this temperature. Scientists thought so until they found bacteria unknown to science at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, in hot springs. They feel great at 250 degrees!
At great depths, water does not turn into steam, but remains just water, because there is great depth and high pressure. Water at this temperature contains many chemicals that the bacteria mentioned above feed on. It is not clear how living creatures took root at such a temperature, but they are accustomed to living there in such a way that if they are brought to a temperature that is below 80 degrees Celsius, it will be cold for them.
As it turned out, the temperature of 250 degrees is not the limit for the life of bacteria. In the same Pacific Ocean, a very hot spring was discovered, the water in which reaches 400 degrees. Even in such conditions, not only many bacteria live, but also some worms, as well as several species of mollusks.
Everyone knows that when the Earth appeared (this was many millions of years ago), it was an ordinary hot ball. For centuries, people believed that life appeared on our planet when the Earth cooled. And it was also believed that life could not exist on other planets with high temperatures. Probably, scientists will now have to reconsider their views regarding this fact.
High temperatures are harmful to almost all living things. An increase in environmental temperature to +50 °C is quite enough to cause depression and death of a wide variety of organisms. There is no need to talk about higher temperatures.
The limit for the spread of life is considered to be a temperature of +100 °C, at which protein denaturation occurs, that is, the structure of protein molecules is destroyed. For a long period it was believed that there were no creatures in nature that could easily tolerate temperatures in the range from 50 to 100 ° C. However, recent discoveries by scientists indicate the opposite.
First, bacteria were discovered that were adapted to life in hot springs with water temperatures up to +90 ºС. In 1983, another major scientific discovery occurred. A group of American biologists studied thermal water sources saturated with metals located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Black smokers, similar to truncated cones, are found at a depth of 2000 m. Their height is 70 m, and their base diameter is 200 m. Smokers were first discovered near the Galapagos Islands.
Located at great depths, these “black smokers,” as geologists call them, actively absorb water. Here it heats up due to the heat coming from the deep hot substance of the Earth, and takes on a temperature of more than +200 ° C.
The water in the springs does not boil only because it is under high pressure and is enriched with metals from the bowels of the planet. A column of water rises above the “black smokers”. The pressure created here, at a depth of about 2000 m (and even much greater), is 265 atm. At such a high pressure, even mineralized waters of some springs, having temperatures up to +350 ° C, do not boil.
As a result of mixing with ocean water, thermal waters cool relatively quickly, but the bacteria discovered by the Americans at these depths try to stay away from the cooled water. Amazing microorganisms have adapted to feed on minerals in waters heated to +250 °C. Lower temperatures have a depressing effect on microbes. Already in water with a temperature of about +80 ° C, although bacteria remain viable, they stop multiplying.
Scientists do not know exactly what is the secret of the fantastic endurance of these tiny living creatures, which easily tolerate heating to the melting point of tin.
The body shape of the bacteria inhabiting black smokers is irregular. Often organisms are equipped with long projections. Bacteria absorb sulfur, turning it into organic matter. Pogonophora and vestimentifera formed a symbiosis with them in order to eat this organic matter.
Careful biochemical studies revealed the presence of a protective mechanism in bacterial cells. The molecule of the substance of heredity DNA, on which genetic information is stored, in a number of species is enveloped in a layer of protein that absorbs excess heat.
The DNA itself includes an abnormally high content of guanine-cytosine pairs. All other living beings on our planet have a much smaller number of these associations within their DNA. It turns out that the bond between guanine and cytosine is very difficult to break by heating.
Therefore, most of these compounds simply serve the purpose of strengthening the molecule and only then the purpose of encoding genetic information.
Amino acids serve as components of protein molecules, in which they are held due to special chemical bonds. If we compare the proteins of deep-sea bacteria with proteins of other living organisms similar in the parameters listed above, it turns out that due to additional amino acids, there are additional connections in the proteins of high-temperature microbes.
But experts are sure that this is not the secret of bacteria. Heating cells within +100 - 120º C is quite enough to damage DNA protected by the listed chemical devices. This means that there must be other ways within bacteria to avoid destroying their cells. The protein that makes up the microscopic inhabitants of thermal springs includes special particles - amino acids of a type that are not found in any other creature living on Earth.
The protein molecules of bacterial cells, which have special protective (strengthening) components, have special protection. Lipids, that is, fats and fat-like substances, have an unusual structure. Their molecules are united chains of atoms. Chemical analysis of lipids from high-temperature bacteria showed that in these organisms lipid chains are intertwined, which serves to further strengthen the molecules.
However, the analysis data can be understood in another way, so the hypothesis of intertwined chains remains unproven. But even if we take it as an axiom, it is impossible to fully explain the mechanisms of adaptation to temperatures of about +200 °C.
More highly developed living beings could not achieve the success of microorganisms, but zoologists know many invertebrates and even fish that have adapted to life in thermal waters.
Among invertebrates, it is necessary to name first of all the various cave dwellers that inhabit reservoirs fed by groundwater, which are heated by underground heat. In most cases, these are tiny unicellular algae and all kinds of crustaceans.
A representative of isopod crustaceans, thermosphere thermal belongs to the family of spheromatids. It lives in a hot spring in Soccoro (New Mexico, USA). The length of the crustacean is only 0.5-1 cm. It moves along the bottom of the source and has one pair of antennas designed for orientation in space.
Cave fish, adapted to life in thermal springs, can tolerate temperatures up to +40 °C. Among these creatures, the most notable are some carp-toothed ones that inhabit the underground waters of North America. Among the species of this large group, Cyprinodon macularis stands out.
This is one of the rarest animals on Earth. A small population of these tiny fish lives in a hot spring that is only 50 cm deep. This spring is located inside Devil's Cave in Death Valley (California), one of the driest and hottest places on the planet.
A close relative of Cyprinodon, the blind eye is not adapted to life in thermal springs, although it inhabits the underground waters of karst caves in the same geographic area within the United States. The blind-eye and its related species are allocated to the family of blind-eyes, while cyprinodons are classified as a separate family of carp-toothed.
Unlike other translucent or milky-cream colored cave dwellers, including other carp-toothed ones, cyprinodons are painted bright blue. In former times, these fish were found in several sources and could freely move through groundwater from one reservoir to another.
In the 19th century, local residents more than once observed how cyprinodons settled in puddles that appeared as a result of filling the ruts of a cart wheel with underground water. By the way, to this day it remains unclear how and why these beautiful fish made their way along with underground moisture through a layer of loose soil.
However, this mystery is not the main one. It is not clear how fish can withstand water temperatures up to +50 °C. Be that as it may, it was a strange and inexplicable adaptation that helped the Cyprinodons survive. These creatures appeared in North America more than 1 million years ago. With the onset of glaciation, all carp-toothed animals became extinct, except for those who developed underground waters, including thermal ones.
Almost all species of the stenazellid family, represented by small (no more than 2 cm) isopod crustaceans, live in thermal waters with temperatures not lower than +20 C.
When the glacier left and the climate in California became more arid, the temperature, salinity and even the amount of food - algae - remained almost unchanged in the cave springs for 50 thousand years. Therefore, the fish, without changing, calmly survived prehistoric cataclysms here. Today, all species of cave cyprinodons are protected by law in the interests of science.
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