Survivors
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Survival of the Fattest
The polar bear survives in the frozen wilderness by saving energy. The polar bear looks white, but its skin is black and absorbs heat. There are two layers of fur - a soft undercoat; and guard hairs up to 6 inches long. In the water, the bear needs different insulation. It’s wrapped in a layer of fat – 3 inches thick on its butt.
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Saved By Sound
For reef sharks, shallow water is their nursery, so when a storm approaches, they know they need to survive. They avoid bad weather, tipped off by their super-sensitive ears. The shark's inner ear is similar to ours and can detect changes in pressure. They can sense when a hurricane is approaching. Thanks to incredible senses, they dodge disaster.
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Packing It In
Camels can go eight days without water. One secret for survival is on their back. Camels store fat – not water - in their hump. It’s a portable pantry. By burning all the fat in its hump – a camel can survive without food for up to a month. When a camel finds water, it soaks it up like a sponge. A thirsty animal chugs 30 gallons - in 13 minutes!
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The Chosen Path
In the shallow ponds of Arizona, juvenile tiger salamanders come in two types – both with feathery gills. Scientists discovered the tiger salamander has a unique way to survive drought. Some eggs carry the genetic blueprints to become harmless plankton feeders. Others become cannibals. A month after hatching, they transform into killers -with big teeth and big heads. Which blueprint they follow depends on the weather. If their pond remains full … the harmless small heads dominate, feeding on plankton. But if the summer rains fail, a shrinking pond means more big heads armed with curved teeth and strong jaws, the big heads feast on the defenseless plankton eaters.
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Suspended Life
Only one frog in the world is found north of the arctic circle. The wood frog. It has to survive the northern winter. The frog is cold blooded. So when the ground freezes – so does the frog. Cold’s not the problem. It’s the ice. The crystals expand like daggers. For most animals freezing means certain death. But not this frog. The first ice crystal forming on its skin sets off a chain reaction. The cells prepare by filling with glucose – a natural antifreeze. The fluid between the cells contains proteins that attract ice – quickly forming crystals small enough to prevent injury.
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Anything to Survive
Rats can chew through cinder blocks, squeeze through spaces the size of a quarter, survive a fall of 50 feet, swim over a mile and tread water for three days.
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Ultimate Hibernator
The lungfish can breathe air. When the going gets tough – the lungfish digs deep. Three feet underground, it swallows mud to excavate a chamber. It secretes slime that hardens into an impermeable body bag: sealing the lungfish away from the drought. Mud makes a time capsule. Inside its cocoon, the lungfish shuts down. It can remain in suspended animation for up to four years!
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Blood Sucker
One moose can be home to one hundred thousand ticks. Over two months – the ticks drink 10 gallons – that’s a moose’s total volume of blood. They can sit waiting for a blood meal for ten years!
