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Birds make epic journeys across the globe every year guided by Earth’s magnetic field. But how they detect this magnetic field has left scientists baffled for decades. Now, the the Keays lab at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna might have some answers. It turns out birds of all shapes and sizes have tiny iron balls in their cells found around their ears.  And it is these iron balls that are responsible for detecting sound and gravity. Needless to say, these iron balls are not found in humans.

Generally, when predicting a fight the age old adage is ‘back the big guy’.  But not apparently in the fish world. Scientists have discovered that when fish fight over food, it is personality traits such as aggression, rather than size, that determines whether they will be victorious.

It’s not just men and women that brave the frontlines of war – it’s dogs, rats, dolphins and even bears, too!

THE FURRY PRIVATE – VOYTEK THE BEAR

Voytek, a bear found by Polish armed forces as a cub in the 1940s, is likely the only ursine on record to have served as a member of military!  Voytek was trained to carry equipment and artillery for Polish soldiers, and was officially enlisted as a private in the artillery.  Voytek would survive WWII – and spent his retirement at Edinburgh Zoo for almost twenty years.

BLOWHOLE IN THE WALL – THE SPY DOLPHIN

As ludicrous as it sounds, dolphins have been used to aid the US Navy for decades.  Not only are they able to locate mines with the help of attached sonar equipment, but they’re also excellent at busting swimming enemies.   A number of gadgets can be attached to a dolphin, such as a strobe light or inflatable - and all they need to is swim up to the target, bump them, and the gadget is attached – either giving the target’s location away or floating them up out of the water!

THE WICKER HUMP – FIRE CAMELS

When faced with an army of 100-strong armoured elephants and all you have is camels, what do you do?  If you’re the Mongolian war chief Timur, and it’s 1398, you stack your camels up with wood and hay – and set fire to them.  Encouraging the burning beasts towards the terrified elephants, Timur succeeded in his invasion of Delhi as the pachyderm infantry retreated!  Everything’s worth a try!”

HOG FIGHTERS – WAR PIGS

If history teaches us anything, it’s that animals have been used in war since records began – particularly pigs!  Porkers have been let loose on enemies since the earliest centuries of human civilisation, be they crazed and hungry, making ear-splitting squeals, or… set on fire.  The Romans were particularly keen on this last one!

NOCTURNAL NIGHTMARE – BAT BOMBERS

One of the most bizarre – and most unsuccessful – animal trials during battle came from US forces towards the end of World War II.  With the US still fighting tooth-and-nail with Japan, American forces were keen to strap  bombs to bats, haul them up in crates, and fly them to Japan.  On opening the crates, the bats would fly off to find structures to hide in, before eventually exploding and causing fires.  The project failed after several tests, and several fires on US soil.

WHISKERS AT WAR – MINE RATS

While many animals can be trained to sniff out bombs and mines, the use of rats is extra special – they’re used to locate landmines in some parts of war-torn Africa, and as they’re not heavy enough to set off any traps, they can be trained to not only sniff out any danger, but also give a signal to their controller to diffuse the device!”

MAN’S BEST BOMB? – TANK DOGS

One of the more horrifying examples of animals in warfare comes from a Soviet Union experiment.  During World War II, Soviet dogs were starved and taught to find food under tanks – and with bombs strapped to their backs, once under an enemy tank, the vehicle – and the dog – would be destroyed.  However, this plan failed miserably when it transpired that the dogs weren’t used to gunfire, running scared back to their masters – sometimes blowing them up!”

HOMING HEROES – WAR PIGEONS

Undoubtedly the most famous (if not the most successful) war animals in history are the homing pigeons used by British and US forces in both World Wars – not used for weaponry, but used to deliver intelligencesuch as maps and photos – and for the most part, they were extremely  successful, with only 10% of correspondence said to have gone astray. German forces would copy the tactic in WWII, though allied forces would respond by training birds of prey to intercept enemy communication!

BOMBLE BEES – BOMB-SNIFFING BEES

In a similar way to how dogs are trained to sniff out drugs, honey bees are being trained to suss out bomb threats!  All bees are born with an incredible  sense of smell – so some militaries are encouraging the plucky buzzers to recognise the ingredients of standard explosives of chemical bombs – and the bees will flick their tongues (their proboscis) to give signal.  They’re very quick to learn, too.

Think you know your animals?  Even if you can name a hundred beasts between Aardvark and Zebra, you still may not have heard of this curious collection of animals all of whom have more famous cousins.

NOT SO JUMBO – THE HYRAX

Unbelievably, while the Hyrax looks more like a relative of the gopher or the beaver, this hairy little beast actually has more in common with the lumbering grey elephant than any other animal.  Though the Hyrax doesn’t  have a trunk nor a bellowing call, it benefits from tiny tusks that both animals  share.  This is a common tree-dwelling beast that normally feeds on fruit and eggs.

LIVES: AFRICA, ASIA
STATUS: UNTHREATENED

SLEEPING IN SILK – THE SILKY ANTEATER

This tiny, sleepy-looking relative of the anteater normally weighs around the same as a box of cereal – and it’s a truly rare sight.  This is both down to its entirely nocturnal habits, and that it will never leave the trees in the rainforests it’s found in.  Armed with a pair of particularly keen claws, the Silky Anteater is for now an unthreatened creature – probably helped by being hidden away!

LIVES: SOUTH AMERICA
STATUS: UNTHREATENED

SCAREDY DOG – THE AARDWOLF

While its name betrays you into thinking it might be a distant cousin of the ant-eating Aardvark, it’s only their diets that are similar.  The Aardwolf is actually a smaller animal from the Hyena family, and it appears to have pulled out the short straw – it’s got very weak jaws meaning it can only eat bugs (particularly termites), and is extremely shy.  It’s of no real harm to anything bar insects, but it will use a cat-like technique to make itself look bigger to scare off anything unwanted.

LIVES: AFRICA
STATUS: UNTHREATENED

RAINFOREST RARITY – THE OKAPI

This striking, stripy, tree-eating beast is a rare find anywhere but in the rainforests of Congo – barely smaller than a horse, this placid vegetarian has a huge tongue that it cleans the whole of its face with.  What could make it weirder?  It’s actually the closest known relative of the Giraffe.

LIVES: AFRICA
STATUS: THREATENED

THE MARVELLOUS MINIATURE – THE PYGMY HIPPO

Hippopotami are known for being big, burly bruisers that wallow in huge packs.  Their lesser-known relatives, the Pygmy, are quite different.  To start with, they only ever grow to around the same height as a human toddler – and they prefer to operate alone, out of water’s way.  There’s a good chance they’re probably less territorial and angry as a result.

LIVES: AFRICA
STATUS: THREATENED

FATHER FIGURE – THE DRILL

While its name sounds more like something you’d find in a hardware catalogue, the Drill is in fact a distant relative of the colourful-faced  Mandrill, a common primate.  The Drill, however, is actually close to being  made extinct due to a large trade in its meat – but you can tell one apart from a Mandrill due to is almost completely black face.  Drills are extremely social, with a score of females at a time being governed by one patriarchal male.

LIVES: AFRICA
STATUS: THREATENED

ENORMOUS YET ELUSIVE – THE COLOSSAL SQUID

While many thought up until recently that the Giant Squid was the upper size limit for such tentacled terrors, recent discoveries have shown that it’s got a bigger, badder brother.  The Colossal Squid has never been seen alive, though bodies of this humongous beast have been pulled out from the  Antarctic and New Zealand.  How big is it?  At an estimated 14 metres (46 feet), it’s longer than an articulated lorry.

LIVES: UNKNOWN
STATUS: UNKNOWN

MY PERFECT COUSIN – THE CRAB-EATING RACCOON

While the Raccoon is a common urban scavenger and something of a notorious pest in the cities of North America, this solitary forest-dwelling relative has, for one, a much healthier diet.  An expert fisherman, the Raccoon’s fish and crab-fancying relation is also a bit slighter than its urban blood-link, and is more likely to bathe thanks to its aquatic lifestyle.

LIVES: NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA
STATUS: UNTHREATENED (BUT RARELY SEEN)

MEOW GOES THE WEASEL – THE JAGUARUNDI

The Jaguarundi is a truly weird-looking and rare beast that mainly lives in South America – it’s about the same size and shape as a weasel, though it’s actually got far more in common with both the Puma and the Mountain Lion.  Illegal trade and habitat destruction are sadly making sights of this odd beast even rarer, sadly.

LIVES: NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA
STATUS: POTENTIALLY THREATENED

There’s more animals in your everyday life than you might know about -  how about the sheep extract in your shampoo?  Or the whale poo in your cologne?  The strange truth is that animals make an incredible contribution to many everyday things you’d never dream of being connected.

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH – SHEEP PLACENTA

While it might sound gross, sheep placenta is an extremely common additive in beauty products!  All mammals are born out of this skin, which acts as a nutrient-filled bubble while in the womb – and research has proven that the addition of sheep placenta in shampoo and creams gives renewed youth to both hair and skin. B-ewe-tiful!

VAT OUT OF SHELL – CHITIN

Chitin is an extremely useful substance used to help bring moisture to skin, stimulate vegetation growth, and even help your hair stick up a certain way. Where does it come from?  Shrimp shells and other shellfish!  As it’s an extremely popular (in some cases essential) ingredient in medicine and agriculture, it’s unlikely to stop being sourced for a long while yet.

DR. DRACULA – THE LEECH

It’s a weird but well-known fact that leeches, blood-sucking slug-like creatures, were often used in medieval times to ‘cure’ just about every ailment under the sun. While its usefulness on a stubbed toe is now pretty much disregarded, the leech is still actually being used in medicine today – as a handy natural suction device to prevent potentially fatal blood clots, and aiding in surgery!

FIGHTING FIRE WITH FEET – COW HOOVES

In possibly one of the strangest connections anyone could ever make,  a cow’s hooves are likely to be just as sought-after as its hide or its  meat – thanks to a chemical in their feet called keratin.  Keratin, believe it or not, is an essential ingredient in fire-fighting safety foam and can be found in extinguishers the world over!

EAU DE WHALE – AMBERGRIS

While there’s a lot of bizarre uses for animals past and present, there’s  probably none so revolting, nor as profitable, as Ambergris – which, to you and me, is whale vomit (though the theory has been floated that it’s more  likely to be whale poo – no one’s sure!).  This initially foul-smelling extract is actually used in perfume manufacture – its chemical construction helps scents last for longer!

MOO BALLS PLEASE – COW GUTS

Top tennis racquets aren’t all strung with plastic, or rubber – plenty of them benefit from preserved cattle gut.  Cow intestines (specifically small ones) are sliced up into thin strings and then coated, before being strung into  the ball-bashing batons of tennis players worldwide.  Due to their rubbery reliance and preservation, they’re brilliant at retaining their strength from even the most aggressive serve.”

SALMON UP THE BLOODSTREAM – PROTAMINE SULFATE

The drug Heparin, which prevents blood clots, often needs help stopping  – and that’s where Protamine sulfate comes in.  It stops a patient from bleeding too much, essentially – but where do the medicine boffins get their special ingredient from?  From the sperm of salmon, and occasionally other fish too.

SCALES ON THE TILES – FISH SKIN

Skin from fish caught for food, when not thrown away completely, is often recycled to use as leather clothing, handbag lining, jewellery  and more!  There are lots of designer brands that opt in to this scheme – and it’s said that there’s even a company making band aids from the scaly stuff!

WHAT’S SWINE IS YOURS – PIG VALVES

For years, heart surgery has included an option to replace human heart  valves with those of a pig’s!  This is called a tissue valve replacement, and it’s often seen as a viable choice over mechanical replacements due to them being biologically sound – however, they will normally only last  around ten years – and they’re often reserved as priority for older patients.

Nature can be cruel. In the wild world, creatures become slaves to all sorts of menacing mind-manipulators.  Parasites, wasps and even trees are all capable of quite dastardly mind control.

THE ANTI-SAMARITAN – THE HAIRWORM

While plenty of small animals can be infected by the pesky hairworm, what it does to crickets is particularly notable, and particularly horrid.  The worm will find its way into a cricket by its host eating infected food – and once on board its new vessel will convince the cricket to head for water – where it will swim free to breed, and the host will drown!

SLAVES TO A TREE – THE ACACIA TREE AND ANTS

While not an animal in any technical sense, the acacia has a brilliant way of dominating creatures that inhabit it – it secretes both a sweet, sticky nectar that ants adore – but will also release a repulsive deterrent that drives them away!  This unintentional mind control allows the ants to crawl around the acacia’s trunk where it is needed, be it for ecological reasons or for defence against tree-munchers.

THE AQUATIC HITCH-HIKER – THE PARASITIC WORM

Some water-dwelling parasitic worms will purposely infect crustaceans such as gammarids to be able to get nutrients from another predator!  This complex journey sees the worm affect certain elements of the crustacean’s behaviour upon ingestion, forcing it to float up towards the water’s surface where it can easily be eaten by a predatory bird.  When the bird feeds on the zombified crustacean, the worms feed off the bird’s nutrients and mature in its gut – before being excreted as new life forms!

THE WALKING INCUBATOR – JEWEL WASPS AND COCKROACHES

The female jewel wasp is a true cowgirl – when she’s ready to lay her young she will hijack an innocent cockroach and inject poison into its brain to impair its thought processes and ability to move.  What then, you ask?  The wasp will lead the docile cockroach back by its antlers to her nest, where she will then lay an egg on the dawdling beast – before sealing the best away.  The egg will develop into a larvae that will eat the cockroach alive, eventually emerging from it as a developed wasp. Lovely.

THE MUMMIFIER – GLYPTAPANTELES WASP

Here’s another wasp whose name is a mouthful to say – but whose young is a full body-ful for some unsuspecting caterpillars!  Some wasps are content to just sting you – but this wasp will inject a caterpillar with its own eggs, allowing them to grow inside the host and eat them from the inside out!  All the while, the caterpillar’s brain will be manipulated by the growing wasps to remain compliant until the process is over!”

THE PIED PIPER – TOXOPLASMA AND RATS

Like any good parasite, toxoplasma’s first host is never its ideal one.  This cunning mind-controller will infect a rat’s muscular system and its brain, where it will amazingly convince the whiskered host to go in search of cat urine – without knowing for why – and, naturally, the rat will be eaten, and the parasite will get new nutrients out of a new predatory host to start its life cycle!

FRUIT FAKERY – ROUNDWORMS AND GLIDING ANTS

Roundworms are parasites that infect certain types of gliding ants in order to get passed onto unwitting bird hosts to complete their life cycles.  How do they manage this?  They infect the ants’ rear-end so that it swells up like a succulent red berry – which any random bird can come across and gobble up, assuming it to be sweet and nutritious!  How the parasites convince the ant to be so compliant in this is a mystery.

DYING TO BE DINNER – THE SPINY-HEADED WORM

The spiny-headed worm is a parasite that feeds off of bird nutrients – and its eggs can be found in the bird’s faeces.  These faeces are then eaten by an unsuspecting pill bug, who, similarly to the crustaceans affected by the water parasites – is then used as a makeshift vehicle towards a new bird host.  The growing parasites effectively take over the bug’s mind and guide it willingly towards a bird’s willing mouth.

Yes, even animals are getting in on the expressive act now – plop a brush in their mouths, or paint on their paws, and this lot will be happy to show you their visual thoughts on the world.  Before you skeptics start rolling your eyes, bear in mind that some of these wild watercolours have been bought for thousands of dollars.

RUFF SKETCHES – SAMMY THE DOG

You can teach a dog to do plenty of things – but painting?  Sammy is a smart dog and trained assistance dog for people with disabilities, who in his spare time has taken up applying brush to canvas with his own special paintbrush, which has a widened end to fit his mouth.  Skeptics of his talents may need to consider that Sammy has been known to fetch over $1,700 at auction for his work – so it might be time to train your own mutt to pick up a paintbrush.

GORILLAS IN THE MIX – KOKO AND MICHAEL

Koko and Michael (who has since passed away) are two fairly legendary gorillas.  The American Gorilla Foundation has not only encouraged the pair to communicate via sign language – Koko can sign over 1000 words – but also to express  themselves on canvas.  Often having been prompted with certain concepts, the pair have painted their visual ideas of love, hate, anger, and have even had a go at making self-portraits.

HORNING YOUR CREATIVITY – MISHINDI THE RHINO

Mishindi’s Denver Zoo keepers introduced her to the world of painting over thirteen years ago as a potential hobby -  and she still regularly turns out works of art, paintbrush in mouth, to this day!  Her artwork has been auctioned and has brought in excess of $200 per piece – with proceeds going towards upkeep of the rhino enclosure.

SHELL STROKES – KOOPA THE TURTLE

Koopa is one of the more prolific animal artists out there, having created over 700 different artworks by treading paint over canvas.  There is a painting by Koopa hanging in at least one place in each US state, and his works are said to have brought over $10,000 in at auction – he has since retired from artistic pursuits after five years of creative crawling.

FINE ART WITH FLIPPERS – LEA AND MAX

Lea and Max are two sea lions resident at the Oregon Coast Aquarium whose talents truly took on a life of their own – the animals were initially encouraged to do flipper prints before finding a demand for their artwork steadily increased to the point of it being a huge attraction for the centre.  Lea can also paint by brush, provided in her mouth with a holder, and all the paint she requires.  Any of their artwork that’s sold benefits the aquarium directly – so they’re effectively earning a living.

GALLOPER’S GALLERY – CHOLLA THE HORSE

Cholla is one of very few animal artists in the world to be revered in art circles – and to genuinely baffle scientists.  Cholla paints using a brush in his mouth and has control over the colour he uses, and it’s said he appears to show free will over whether he wants to create or not – and when he does, he seems to enjoy it!  It’s just as well – as some of his work can be expected to fetch around £3,000.

MINTED CHIMP – CONGO THE CHIMPANZEE

While the clearly gifted Congo has sadly not been with us for over forty years now, his work lives on in a big way – at art auctions.  His paintings were first showcased by Desmond Morris, an animal behaviourist, in 1957 – but since then, in 2005, some of his work has gone on to claim £12,000 at auction alongside works by Andy Warhol!  It’s also said that even Pablo Picasso once owned a framed Congo masterpiece.

OINKING ICONS – TROTTERS INDEPENDENT PAINTERS

A pair of piglets going under the name of T.I.P. have taken to creating messy, explosive artworks that wouldn’t look out of place in any modern exhibitions.  Smearing with their snouts and with sponges, the duo have raised over £150 for charity – at a rate of £16 per artwork.

Think you’re a true thrill-seeker? See how you compare to some of the crazy antics such as fishing in rapids or out running leopards on sheer vertical cliff faces – that nature’s gutsiest thrill seekers get up to.

SPRINGBOARD INSECT – THE CLICK BEETLE

When most insects are rolled onto their backs they will simply try their hardest to roll back over onto their feet – not so with the dramatic self-righting of the click beetle.  This mini daredevil has a lever-like joint which can be used as a makeshift catapult – when tensed up the lever will allow the beetle to flip up into the air with a click, in the hope that it will land back on its front.  Click beetles can bounce up to 30cm (1 foot) into the air, and often use their daring technique to escape predators.

WEB-FOOTED AND WILD – THE TORRENT DUCK

Unlike your run-of-the-mill mallard, the torrent duck prefers fast-flowing rapids and death-defying displays to bread crusts and ponds.  It lives in mountain torrents in South America, where it has had to evolve to get used to the extreme water conditions – as a diver it’s a perfect scorer when going down for fish, and is said to be completely unfazed by hunting for food in torrential waterfalls!

NO MEAN BLEAT – THE BHARAL

The bharal is better known as a mountain goat – and inhabits all manner of high-altitude ranges across Asia, best known for blending into the Himalayas with their grey-blue coats.  Why are they considered thrill seekers?  Consider their habitat – by their very nature they’re required to be expert climbers, not only to keep living from day to day but also to escape mountain predators and occasionally have the odd fight with one another – you need a steady head to do all that when you could plunge 3,000 feet in a split second..

WIND WINDING – THE FLYING SNAKE

Easily one of the runners for ‘weirdest snake in the world’, the flying snake doesn’t so much fly as glide from treetop to treetop – somehow managing to keep itself steadily airborne by twisting as it falls.  Is it an expert glider, or an expert plummeter?  One thing’s for certain – you’re very unlikely to find another creature that likes base-jumping (except perhaps for the flying squirrel!)

GRAVITY-DEFYING GLUE – THE GECKO

This keen-looking lizard may look as if it could be blown away by a stray gust of wind at any given moment, but if you knew of the gecko’s insane climbing skills and apparatus, you’d be quickly corrected.  The gecko has some of the stickiest feet in the animal kingdom, allowing it to stick to almost any surface or incline with ease – it could quite easily walk up a wall and across a ceiling without a problem.

SWINGING SENSATION – THE ORANGUTAN

Not only are orangutans regarded as some of the most cunning primates on the planet – some have learnt how to pick locks – they’re well equipped for some of the most stylish swinging action rainforests have ever seen.   Their long arms give them tremendous reach to glide from vine to vibe without a care – and they must know what they’re doing, as they build their homes often hundreds of feet off the ground!

HIVE OCTANE – SCOUTING BEES

While most bees will happily be followers, learning where food sources are from communicating through dance, some bees have to do the legwork – that is, find new food sources in the first place.  Scout bees are more than happy to do this – and unlike other bees, will look for a completely different food source each time, which is extremely beneficial to the rest of its family.  Such risks are highly dangerous to a creature as tiny as this mini bumbler though – so it must seriously appreciate variety!

BOUNCING BABIES – THE BARNACLE GOOSE

Barnacle geese have the bright idea to build their nests high up on cliffs and ridges to avoid predators -fair enough, you might think, but how are goslings going to get their food?  They simply take a running jump off – meaning they require extreme precision at all times in the hope they survive the fall!  While some geese aren’t so lucky to survive this rite of passage, it’s amazing that they can still evolve to do this.

Meet mother nature’s biggest boozers and thrill seekers. This group of animals like nothing more than to gulp down alcohol, eat addictive plants, or… smear millipede poison all over themselves.  They hang loose like no other – and don’t care about the hangover!

TOURIST TRAPPER – THE VERVET MONKEY

Vervet monkeys, like a lot of primates, have an awful amount of cunning to show off – and this is particularly evident in their habits of stealing alcohol from tourists visiting their Caribbean island homes!  Scientists have even discovered that the alcoholic tastes of these monkeys varies from individual to individual – with some choosing to get absolutely sozzled, while others like a neat, slow drink.

LIGHTWEIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT – THE SYRIAN HAMSTER

While you may think the timid little creature you have running in a wheel has little more than a cute face, you’d be surprised to know that it has an extraordinary stomach for alcohol!  This is traced back to its habits in the wild, where fruits it foraged to store for hibernation end up fermenting by the winter – meaning that they have had to evolve relatively huge livers to cope with the bombardment of booze until Spring!

ALL-NIGHT BOOZER – THE PEN-TAILED TREE SHREW

Much like the hamster, this Malaysian tree shrew is no stranger to the sauce – with a taste for plants that give off fruit that has already fermented.  This means this tiny creature constantly feeds on alcohol – and just like the hamster, it has evolved to withstand the effects and unlike humans, doesn’t get a nasty hangover in the morning.

MUSHROOM MANIA – THE REINDEER

European reindeer have been found to actively look for certain types of mushroom that bring on hallucinogenic effects – the fungus, called amanita muscaria, sends a pronged party animal reeling with a sense that they are actually flying… although not pulling a sleigh!  The effects are said to be so strong that humans have been known to drink the reindeer’s urine to get a hit themselves!

STING-KING DRUNK – THE BEE

Not only is the bee greatly attracted to fermented substances, but it’s also one of nature’s biggest lightweights.  A drunk bee is likely to be a passed-out one – alcohol affects these creatures so badly that they won’t even be able to fly it off.  It’s pretty unlikely that bees will stray from the hive due to their work ethic, however – and if they dare split from the group, or risk losing pollen, the brutal consequences for the poor drunk can be seen in the video below.

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CRAZY FOR CYANIDE – CAPUCHIN MONKEYS

Capuchin Monkeys are pretty good animal medics and repel mosquitoes and other pests by killing highly poisonous millipedes and smearing the toxins on their bodies.  While this is already a risky move due to the concentrated level of cyanide in the millipedes, these monkeys appear to enjoy doing this due to the bizarre effects it has on them.  While only temporary, they will drift away from reality, high on what is potentially a killer drug.

LOCO FOR LOCOWEED – THE HORSE

Locoweed is technically a type of cannabis – and horses will often munch the bright-coloured grass for its addictive effects.  However, like many drugs, long-term consumption can bring bodily damage – diarrhoea, weight loss and even depression have been shown to affect addicted equines.  Preventing their animals from eating locoweed is a constant nightmare for ranchers – but the horses will keep on devouring it, unaware of the damage it’s doing.

PICKLED PACHYDERM – THE ELEPHANT

While elephants are unlikely to come across alcohol in the wild, those living nearby villages in countries to the East, such as India, have been known to develop a taste for the devil’s nectar – and have caused serious havoc while they’ve been at it!  Villages have been ransacked and people killed because of drunken elephant rampages – so it’s probably wise to keep animals as big as these away from mind-bending chemicals!

FELINE FIX – THE JAGUAR

While the average housecat might find itself fixated on the catnip plant from time to time, its bigger, badder cousin has an even bigger, badder version of its addiction.  The jaguar will strive to feast on the caapi plant, the root of which contains chemicals that both relax and magnify the senses – meaning that a jaguar high on these shrubs may have double the ability, but is probably far too docile to want to hunt you down.

MR. UNCRUSHABLE  – THE HERO SHREW

When you’ve got the word ‘hero’ in your name, you’ve got some living up to do – and this tiny, seemingly unassuming rodent goes above and beyond the call of duty.  It has the strongest spine in the animal kingdom and its intricate interlocking nature gives the hero shrew’s skeleton a protective mechanism so strong – a grown man can stand on it and it will not be crushed!  While not completely indestructible, some tribes have previously worn dead shrews about themselves to promote invincibility!

THE DUPLICATOR – THE PLANARIAN FLATWORM

While not exactly immortal, the flatworm is probably as close as you’ll get to finding an animal that can fraction itself off into miniature versions of itself.  While regenerating super-animals like cats and octopuses can regrow parts of themselves, this weird worm can be split in two and survive as two completely new creatures!  It can then be split again, and again, and again – though this process can’t last forever due to inevitable cell decay, it’s able to seamlessly regenerate thanks to an incredibly basic organ system.

MR. EXPLOSIVE – BOMBARDIER BEETLE

The bombardier beetle may be small but it is host to one of the natural world’s most effective and dangerous weapons – a hot and corrosive mix of chemicals that it brews in its stomach before firing into the face of its enemies.  Unless you are made of steel you will find yourself on the painful receiving end of a scalding, burning squirt of glue should you be considered a foe of this miniature cannon!

THE FLASH – THE HUMMINGBIRD

It’s said that, relatively speaking, the tiny hummingbird is the fastest known animal on the planet – and at a flight speed of up to 60 miles per hour, it’s a wonder it doesn’t tire itself out. This may not sound fast compared to a peregrine falcon but in terms of body lengths covered per minute, this tiny bird which could fit easily into your hand, is in a class of its own.  Indeed it can cover over 9,000 body lengths per minute which is comparable, if not faster relatively speaking, than most jet planes. Perhaps even more astounding is that i has been estimated it can cover 500 miles before needing to refuel!

THE PSYCHIC – THE PLATYPUS

While you might think of the dopey-looking platypus as something of an oddity and nothing more, it actually possesses a brilliant type of internal radar!  As it needs to shut down all of its main senses as it dives for food, its bizarre bill takes on an amazing power all of its own – an electro-sensory power that picks up on tiny electric movements.  This sixth-sense allows the Platypus to hunt with its eyes shut, and instead be led by its psychic beak!

THE HARVESTER – THE OCTOPUS

The octopus really is a marvel of nature – it’s remarkably intelligent and self-aware, and some are unbelievably poisonous – but one skill that’s common to the animal is perhaps its most brilliant.  If we were to lose an arm or a leg, we’d probably panic. Not so the octopus as it can grow one straight back again!  Not only does it have plenty with eight to begin with, its tentacles can split off and regrow without its owner batting any eyelid.

MIRACLE WALKER – THE PLUMED BASILISK

The keen green plumed basilisk gets its nickname – the ‘Jesus Christ Lizard’ – not from its ability to turn water into wine, but from its ability to run across water.  The lizard will apply its feet to water with enough pressure and speed to create pockets of air between itself and the wet stuff – allowing it to speedily traverse across ponds and lakes, as demonstrated in this short video clip.

THE MARKSMAN – THE ARCHER FISH

Another ‘super’ animal that truly earns its name is the formidably accurate archer fish – which can shoot down unsuspecting insects from leaves in under a second.  It does this by using its tongue and mouth to form a natural water pistol. In the blink of an eye, it can fire a jet of water about 150 cm – which would be like us trying to spit across a football (soccer) pitch.

THE REGENERATOR – THE CAT

Cats are surprisingly resilient animals – and as the saying goes, they always land on their feet.  What you may not know is that a cat’s purr actually gives off a frequency of up to 150 hertz – jargon aside, this vibration has been proven to promote both healing and growth of bone matter!  It’s also said that purring can release endorphins, making a cat calm and content – though as a built-in self repair kit it’s amazing enough!

THE CONCEALERS – BOBTAIL SQUID AND BACTERIA

The watery dream team of the Hawaiian bobtail squid and the bacteria vibrio fischeri is an amazing partnership that gives the tentacled titan its very own moveable torches!  The bacteria are luminescent – meaning that they are constantly glowing – and they use the squid as a makeshift mobile home.  Meanwhile, the squid manoeuvres the bacteria and their light to prevent its own shadow from being cast above it – keeping out of the way of predators!

MR. FREEZE – THE WOOD FROG

The wood frog’s super abilities kick in without it even trying – and it still has scientists baffled to this day.  This minute Alaskan amphibian is able to withstand being frozen completely solid – and then thaw out again as if nothing had happened!  This unique ability sees the frog’s heart stop beating entirely – and to see it spring back to life from the deep freeze is nothing short of miraculous.  While other animals take time and effort to hibernate, this frog can sit back and let nature take its course.

THE X RAY MACHINE – THE MANTIS SHRIMP

Short of being able to see sounds, the aquatic mantis shrimp has an extraordinary wealth of vision that allows it to see pretty much everything that we can’t.  It can see up to twelve primary colours (we have three), and can see both infa-red and ultraviolet light – types of light we as humans are only ever told about.  Even crazier, however, is the discovery that the shrimp can see light spirals that no other animal can – which may or may not give it a secret communicative device!

THE IMMORTAL – TURRITOPSIS NUTRICULA

While there are some animals on this list that can heal, regenerate and split off, it takes something spectacular to match up to this jellyfish – which can actually turn back its own biological clock!  Providing it is sexually mature it can simply choose to regress it cells back to an earlier period – meaning it can do so infinitely providing it’s not eaten in the meantime!