Thug life
Bdelloid rotifers are literally like superheroes and not surprisingly, they are found everywhere, even in Antarctica. They are masters of survival. If there’s a lot of water, they’re happy. If it’s completely dry, they’re still happy because they can simply dry up and stay in that state for years; when there’s water again, they continue as if nothing happened. The secret to their success? Stealing DNA from organisms like plants, fungi or other microbes to repair damages to their own DNA. If that’s not the coolest superpower, what is?
Big brother
Capable of growing to a size of 1.5 inches, Gromia sphaerica is a type of amoeba that is not only big (by microbe standards), but most importantly, it’s a single cell that grows to that size! Just let that sink in for a moment. First discovered in the Arabian Sea, this is not its sole special feature. This single-celled microbe somehow manages to roll along on the sea floor all by its own and leaves a distinct trail on the seafloor. Strange or amazing?
Simple hermits
For a long time, a certain species of Trichoplax was thought to be only its larval form it was that simple. With only four types of cells making them up (for comparison, a human being is made up of at least 200 different types of cells), they seem to be the champions of minimalism. No organs. No front or back. Just an upper and bottom side – latch on, eat, excrete. Simple.
Travel and hunt in packs
Much like wolf packs, Myxococcus xanthus species travel in a swarm and how they travel together is simply fascinating. They have a hair-like organelle called pili that helps each bacterium latch on to its neighbour or onto the surface if they’re crawling on it. They feed on everything on their path as they travel. And what when they find no food? They form a tower, instead, and produce a fruiting body that turns the bacteria into spores equipped with better survival abilities.
Bring on the radiation
Radiation — the biggest danger to all living organisms is not a concern for Deinococcus radiodurans. These microbes can bravely withstand gamma radiation 3,000 times the amount that a human can cope with. They do this by having multiple copies of their genome in separate compartments and the ability to repair damages quickly. This also means they can travel to outer space without space suits!
Feasting on metals
“My home is a deep, dark cave (one dripping with acid). An old mine? Much better, thank you. Not even chemicals like arsenic and mercury scare me. Who am I?” Acidithiobacillus, of course! They typically enjoy meals of minerals like iron and sulphur. Once digested, they release sulphuric acid powerful enough to dissolve limestone rocks. They live in the form of snottites (you heard that right!) — they look like gooey snot hanging from cave roofs.
Squid buddies
Squids are big and mean predators and you have to be incredible to become their friends. Aliivibrio have the distinction of being the microbes squids come in search of. Soon after hatching, a bobtail squid will collect as many Aliivibrio from their surroundings and transfer them to the light organs in the belly. Why? The bacteria give the squid an awesome blue-green glow instead of a boring old shadow making it virtually impossible to detect – perfect for hunting shrimps!
Picture Credit : Google