5 Bizarre Creatures Able To Survive In Extreme Environments
Recent discoveries have revealed the existence of some creatures capable of surviving in environments in which scientists believed that life would never exist. Some examples are microorganisms that have been discovered in isolated Antarctic lakes, others that have been detected in a superacid river in Spain, and even beings found within rocks.
These organisms are known as stremophiles, and the fact that they can withstand extreme heat or cold, as well as radiation, lack of water and nutrients, reveals an incredible ability to survive not only here on Earth, but - why not? - in other places of the universe as well. The folks at LiveScience have posted a list of these bizarre creatures, and you can check out 5 extreme conditions they can endure below:
1 - Lack of water
As you know, the Atacama Desert in Chile is considered the most arid spot in the world. However, in 2010 researchers discovered in a cave a type of organism - Dunaliella algae - capable of surviving with a minimal amount of water. In fact, these beings grow on cobwebs, absorbing the dew deposited on the silk threads in the mornings, resulting from the condensation of the scant humidity of the air.
2 - Excessive heat
In the famous park of Yellowstone, in the USA, there are some springs whose waters reach the temperature of 96 ° C. And while it seems impossible that any form of life can withstand these extreme conditions, one genus of bacteria - Aquifex - has been detected in these springs, proving to be able to survive in such an environment.
3 - Interior of Rocks
Can you imagine any organisms that can survive inside rocks, in pores between mineral grains or in the cracks in animal exoskeletons? These beings exist, are known as endoliths and have been found even more than 3 kilometers below the Earth's surface. Water is very scarce at these depths, and these creatures are believed to feed on sulfur, potassium and iron.
4 - Radiation
A radiation dose of 10 grays is capable of killing a human. However, Deinococcus radiodurans - a species of bacteria - can withstand 15, 000 grays in a tranquil manner, as well as being able to survive cold, vacuum, dehydration and acid environments. In fact, D. radiodurans is listed in the Guinness Book as the “toughest” bacteria on the planet.
5 - Without oxygen
The above creature - a loriciferus identified as belonging to the genus Spinoloricus and whose species has not yet been formally described - has only recently been discovered. This organism has been found in sediments from a hypersaline region at the base of the Mediterranean called L'Atalante, located near the island of Crete, and has specialized organelles that allow it to survive completely without oxygen.
