Animal Superpowers: 10 Real Animals With Unbelievable Abilities

Animal superpowers aren't science fiction. Real animals can survive space, strike faster than almost anything alive, let their body temperature drop below freezing, or copy almost any sound they hear. Here are ten of the best, each with a full story to read.

1. Tardigrade: Survived Outer Space

Dried water bears flew on a 2007 space mission and survived about ten days exposed to space in low orbit. Some later reproduced. Read the tardigrade story.

2. Mantis Shrimp: The Fastest Punch

The peacock mantis shrimp strikes at about 23 meters per second, one of the fastest strikes of any animal. See how it compares to the pistol shrimp.

3. Pistol Shrimp: A Sonic Snap

Its claw snaps so fast it fires a collapsing bubble that makes one of the loudest sounds in the ocean and a brief flash of light. Read more.

4. Arctic Ground Squirrel: Below Freezing

During hibernation, its body temperature can drop to about -2.9 C without freezing. Read the squirrel story.

5. Superb Lyrebird: Copies Almost Anything

Lyrebirds mimic other birds so well that a real kookaburra has answered back, and males can fake the sound of a whole mobbing flock. Read the lyrebird story.

6. Archerfish: Never Misses

It spits a jet of water to knock insects off leaves, correcting for light bending at the water's surface. Read the archerfish story.

7. Platypus: Electric Sense

Underwater, with its eyes, ears and nostrils shut, the platypus finds prey by sensing electric fields with its bill. Read the platypus story.

8. Crows: Never Forget a Face

Seattle crows scolded a mask worn by the people who trapped them for about 17 years, and taught their young to do the same. Read the crow story.

9. Honey Badger: Venom Resistance

A change in a key receptor makes it harder for some cobra toxins to bind. It's resistance, not immunity. Read the honey badger story.

10. Electric Eel: 860 Volts

Volta's electric eel produced an 860-volt discharge, the strongest recorded in any animal. See how it ranked on our tier list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What animal has the best superpower?

It depends on the power. The tardigrade is famous for survival, the mantis shrimp for speed, and the lyrebird for mimicry.

Can any animal survive in space?

Tardigrades survived about ten days exposed to space in low orbit in a 2007 experiment.

Which animal has the fastest punch?

The peacock mantis shrimp, with a strike measured at about 23 meters per second.

Related Stories

• Animal Superpowers, Ranked
• The Ocean's Weirdest Creatures
• Animals That Migrate the Longest Distances

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Sources

• Jönsson et al. (2008), Current Biology: Tardigrades Survive Exposure to Space in Low Earth Orbit: tardigrades in space
• Patek, Korff and Caldwell (2004), Nature: Deadly Strike Mechanism of a Mantis Shrimp: strike speed
• Barnes (1989), Science: Freeze Avoidance in a Mammal: below-freezing squirrels
• Dalziell et al. (2021), Current Biology: Male Lyrebirds Create a Complex Acoustic Illusion of a Mobbing Flock: the fake flock
• Marzluff et al. (2010), Animal Behaviour: Lasting Recognition of Threatening People by Wild American Crows: crow memory
• de Santana et al. (2019), Nature Communications: Unexpected Species Diversity in Electric Eels: 860 volts

More true animal stories: From Paw to Tail Blog

Cover photo: Cédric Péneau via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.