Animals That Can Handle Heat—And Cold

As tough (and cannibalistic) as the Sahara desert ant may sound, nothing beats the water bear, also known as a tardigrade or moss piglet. It’s the king of extreme temperatures, capable of surviving lows near absolute zero (-459°F; -273°C) and highs of more than 302°F (150°C).

Water bears live in aquatic and semiaquatic habitats such as lichen and damp moss.

  Found in hot springs, nestled under solid ice, and at the top of the Himalaya, these tiny invertebrates can even survive outer space. In 2007 Swedish researcher K. Ingemar Jönsson rocketed a few tardigrades into space using the FOTON-M3 spacecraft. Even after being exposed to the vacuum and cosmic rays of space, they lived. more