Fasting is common among many animals, allowing them to survive through food scarcity. Some animals are better equipped for fasting than others, with adaptations that enable them to stay for extended periods without food. This article will explore the top 5 best-fasting animals on earth, examining their unique adaptations and survival strategies.
- The Ball Python: 6 Months
The Royal Python or Ball Python (Python regius) is a species of python that lives in Africa. The name “royal python” comes from the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII, who often wore this python on her wrist. Royal pythons are picky eaters and can go without food for many months, especially during the breeding period in winter.
Royal Pythons have a prolonged metabolism, storing enough energy to move them around for about six months without food. The reason why royal Pythons fast so well is that they are cold-blooded animals (thermophilic animals), so they do not need to eat often and do not need the energy to maintain body temperature like warm-blooded animals (animals with heat isothermal). Moreover, they also need many days to digest food.
- Scorpio: 1 Year
Scorpions are eight-legged invertebrates belonging to the class Arachnida (arachnids). Scorpio is one of the creatures that can live comfortably in the harshest environments in the world. Scorpions can go without food for one year.
According to scientists, evolution over millions of years has made scorpions capable of slowing down the metabolism in the body. Scorpions can feed on 1/3 of their body weight in just one meal. Therefore, scorpions can still live without eating for a long time.
- Crocodile: 3 Years
Crocodiles are species of the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified as subfamily Crocodylinae). Crocodiles are known as swamp ᴋɪʟʟᴇʀs because they have a very flexible and intelligent hunting method. With such a terrifying ability, the crocodile’s ʜᴜɴᴛɪɴɢ rate must be very high, but the crocodile is one of the species that can survive for a long time without eating or drinking.
Even if they can eat a full meal, crocodiles can go without food for three years without changing their health. Scientists have answered this phenomenon because crocodiles have a mode called summer sleep. This hibernation is similar to hibernation but differs in that it helps them conserve energy to survive periods of food scarcity.
- Olm: 10 Years
The olm (scientific name: Proteus anguinus) is the only European burrowing vertebrate of the Proteus. They often live in underwater caves in the Balkans and Italy. The olm can live for decades without… no need to eat or drink.
A team of scientists from Eötvös University Loránd, Hungary, has studied the lifestyle and behaviour of this species. They found that olms are so good at fasting because they have shallow metabolic activity. Their food is mainly snails and molluscs. However, not many of these species are in the cave, so the olm has absorbed nutrients from its own tissues to provide more energy for the body.
- Water Bear: 30 Years
Water bears are the common name for the phylum Tardigrada; they are small, water-dwelling creatures belonging to microscopic eight-legged animals. They were first described by the pastor Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773. The name Tardigrada was given three years later by the Italian biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani.
At just one millimetre long, the water bear’s tiny body hides many superpowers that help them endure extreme conditions, such as being able to live without food for 30 years. According to scientists, when water bears begin metabolising, they will slow down this process to 0.01% of normal. This miraculous ability has allowed them to move without food for decades.
In conclusion, fasting is a survival strategy many animals use to survive periods of food scarcity. The animals on this list have unique adaptations that allow them to stay for extended periods without food. These adaptations enable these animals to thrive in harsh environments where food is scarce. By studying these animals, we can learn more about the complex strategies used by animals to survive in the wild.
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