Skip to Content

15 Animals With Actual Superpowers

frilled lizard
Frilled lizard showing off its frill. Image via Depositphotos

Nature is wild and what many of us don’t know is how some rare animals exist with powers beyond imagination. Have you ever heard of a rat with ninja skills? Or a pistol packing shrimp that shoots water with a sound louder than a gunshot? Believe it or not, some animals possess incredible abilities, so check out this incredible article of 12 rare animals with superpowers proving how nature is nothing short of amazing.

#1 The Horned Lizard Which Squirts Blood

Texas Horned Lizard
Texas Horned Lizard, (Phrynosoma Cornutum), Texas, USA. Image via Depositphotos

Imagine encountering a dinosaur-like lizard that can squirt blood from its eyes! The horned lizard, with its mottled skin and horns, does just that. When threatened, it fills its ocular sinuses with blood and shoots it out under pressure. This foul-smelling, blood-squirting trick is enough to scare off most predators. Mess with this lizard, and you’ll be dealing with a mini vampire!

#2 The Sea Cucumber Turns into Liquid

Sea Cucumber
Sea Cucumber. Image via Depositphotos

Ever wish you could turn to liquid like the villain in the terminator and slip away? The sea cucumber can! This creature transforms its solid tissue into liquid to squeeze through tight spaces. It can also eject its chemically laden organs out from its anus perversely waving them around predators eww! The organs later regenerate of course, but that’s bizarre don’t you think?

#3 The Gunslinging Pistol Shrimp Shoots Burning Hot Water

Pistol Shrimp
Pistol shrimp-Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Meet the pistol shrimp, a tiny but mighty sea creature with a deadly weapon. It shoots out a stream of water hot enough to stun or kill its prey instantly. This shrimp can also create a sound of over 200 decibels, louder than a gunshot. Armed with a powerful claw, the pistol shrimp is a true gunslinger of the ocean.

#4 Scuba Spider

sea spider
Sea spider in Bali Sea. Image via Depositphotos

Imagine a spider with its own underwater breathing tank. The diving bell spider spins a dome-shaped web which it attaches between underwater plants. It then rises to the surface and transports air bubbles to the web by trapping them with help of the fine hairs on its legs and belly. The spider will then release the air bubbles filling the web dome with air to help it breathe. This little engineer’s survival skills are truly next level!

#5 Flying Joro Spiders

Flying Joro spider
A closeup shot of a Joro spider with pink back in a Japanese forest park. Image via Depositphotos

Spiders that can fly? Yes! These arachnids use a ballooning technique, releasing gossamer threads to form a parachute that catches the wind, lifting them into the sky. Flying spiders have been known to travel vast distances, sometimes landing on ships in mid-ocean.

#6 Wood Frog Freezes its Blood

wood frog
Wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus). The Cosmonaut, CC BY-SA 2.5 CA, via Wikimedia Commons

Meet the wood frog, also known as the living dead or the zombie frog. This frog can freeze solid during winter, stopping its heart and breathing, yet come back to life in spring. It produces a special antifreeze to protect its cells, surviving extreme cold in a state of suspended animation. Nature’s own cryogenic marvel!

#7 Porcupine Fish

porcupine fish or blow fish
Porcupine fish via Deposit photos

The porcupine fish inflates itself and releases a toxin called tetrodotoxin which is 1,200 times more powerful than cyanide to deter predators. Its spines and toxic secretions make it a formidable opponent in the underwater world. Handle with care – this fish is a toxic time bomb!

#8 Dragon Millipede Emits Poison Gas Clouds

A pink dragon millipede
Pink dragon millipede-CHULABUSH KHATANCHAROEN, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The dragon millipede, a tiny yellow creature, can emit clouds of hydrogen cyanide when threatened. This lethal gas is enough to kill small predators and deter larger ones. Brightly colored and highly toxic, the dragon millipede is a real-life chemical warrior.

#9 Peregrine Falcon Flies Faster than the Speed of a Cheetah

Peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon soaring in the wind. Image by John Bell via Unsplash.

The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on the planet, diving at speeds over 200 mph to catch its prey. And get this, the top speed of a Maserati is 205 mph, a cheetah, 80-130 mph, how’s that for perspective? This majestic bird of prey uses its speed and powerful talons to deliver deadly blows, making it the Flash of the skies.

#10 Frilled Lizard Increases its Head Size

frilled lizard
Frilled lizard showing off its frill. Image via Depositphotos

The frilled lizard, resembling a mini dinosaur, can expand the frills around its neck to appear larger when threatened. Standing on its hind legs and opening its mouth wide, it intimidates predators, looking like something straight out of Jurassic Park.

#11 Lyrebirds are Masters of Mimicry

Lyrebirds
Image by Geoffrey Moore via Unsplash

Lyrebirds, native to Australia, are master mimics, capable of imitating chainsaws, wing beats car alarms, other birds and even a camera shutter. Their incredible vocal abilities make them sound like a one-bird orchestra, impressing potential mates and confusing predators.

#12 Cuttlefish Can Turn Invisible

cuttlefish
Cuttle fish-By AlessioMarrone – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cuttlefish are the ultimate camouflage artists. They can change their skin color and texture to blend seamlessly into their surroundings. With sacs of natural pigments, cuttlefish can transform in an instant, making them the invisible ninjas of the sea.

#13 The Slow Loris Has a Secret Poison

Slow-loris
A Pygmy Slow Loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina. Image via David Haring / Duke Lemur Center, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The slow loris looks cute, but it’s got a sneaky defense. This little guy has poison glands on its arms, which it rubs on its fur or licks to make its bite toxic. The foul-smelling toxin isn’t dangerous to humans but can cause severe shock in other predators. Found in Southeast Asian rainforests, the slow loris isn’t aggressive but will use its toxic elbows if threatened.

#14 Malaysian Ants Explode

Malaysian exploding ant
Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When threatened, Malaysian ants go kamikaze. These ants have large poison glands that they use to blow themselves up, spraying sticky poison on intruders. This self-destruct tactic kills the ant but can seriously harm or kill the attacker, protecting the colony.

#15 The Bombardier Beetle Farts Poison

Bombardier beetle
Bombardier beetle sitting on a leaf-image via Depositphotos

The Bombardier beetle isn’t messing around. It can shoot a hot, toxic spray from its backside with a popping sound, like a tiny cannon. The spray is a mix of hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone, which combine to form deadly benzoquinone. It’s not lethal to humans but can cause a painful reaction if it gets on your skin or eyes.

Unusual Fall Season For Almost All US States Predicted Spotting A Blue Jay May Be The Universe’s Way Of Telling You What You Need New York Rescue Duck Found Himself An Emotional Support Duck Spotting A Cougar May Be The Universe’s Way Of Telling You What You Need Do Bald Eagles Mate For Life?