Top Five Species With Superpowers

People have always been fascinated by heros with superhuman powers, but we don’t really give ourselves enough credit. Populating six continents and manipulating our environment more than any other creature, us homo sapiens are a pretty impressive species.
Nonetheless, some of Mother Nature’s wonders give the X-Men a run for their money. Some real-life species have the ability shape shift, control others’ minds and even feed on radiation.

1. Species: Bdelloid Rotifers

Superpowers:

• They reproduce asexually, meaning that they are constantly creating copies of themselves
• By going into a dormant state, they can withstand the harshest of conditions, from drought to radiation and even outer space
• After awaking from dormancy, they absorb the DNA of other nearby organisms as they repair themselves

In space, no one can hear you scream except for any nearby Bdelloid Rotifer. Beware: it might just steal your DNA when it wakes up from its nap.

2. Name: Crysomallon Squamiferum, or “The Scaly-foot Snail”

Superpowers:

• They incorporate iron sulfide into their shells, creating a protective metal coating
• They can also turn their flesh into metal

The scaly-foot snail’s seemingly supernatural abilities are being studied for military use. Scientists are currently conducting a DNA test on some lucky snail in hopes of creating advancements in body armor.

3. Name: Sacculina

Superpowers:

• In their larval state, they attach to a crab’s shell and then enter its body
• After digging into the crab’s skin, their head then emerges out of the crab’s thorax
• They impregnate female crabs with replicas of themselves, which the possessed crab then tends

The writers of “Invasion of The Body Snatches” may have gotten their idea from the parasitic sacculina. Perhaps the author of “The Exorcist” drew inspiration from these demonic tricksters as well.

4. Name: The Indonesian Mimic Octopus

Superpowers:

• They can change color instantaneously
• They can manipulate their bodies to appear like a flounder as they roam the ocean floor
• They also take the shape and color of the poisonous lion fish when they want to travel through dangerous territory

It’s a fish! It’s a rock! It’s the ocean floor! The mimic octopus puts the chameleon to shame with its unparalleled camouflage techniques. It can swim incognito right beside an unsuspecting predator with no fear. If it feels intimidated, it just changes color and scares any threat away.

5. Name: Cladosporium Cladosporioides

Superpowers:

• It has the ability to turn radiation into energy for itself to feed on
• Not only would they survive a nuclear disaster, they would actually thrive in it

This mold’s peculiar traits were first identified in the rubble of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Scientists may benefit from performing a dna test on the a specimen of Cladosporium Cladosporioides to learn how people might survive the fallout of a nuclear war.
Image Credit: DaugaardDK

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Derek enjoys blogging about the environment and green energy. When he is not blogging, he enjoys volunteering at a local animal shelter. The article above is for dna test.