THE MOST EXTREME (show on Animal Planet)

THE MOST EXTREME is a television show broadcast on Animal Planet. This show showcases certain characteristics of animals that are extremely superior to our human qualities of the same genre.

-title screen of THE MOST EXTREME

Certain characteristics are featured of the different animals shown in the episode. All of them have a common characteristic, such as speed, physical strength, stamina and endurance, etc. Humans will also be compared to these animals in terms of ability.

An animal that really impressed me that was featured on THE MOST EXTREME was the water bear. This is an extremely small, microscopic creature that has incredible resistance abilities. it can survive being in a total vacuum, can withstand huge amounts of poison and radiation, and is resistant to heat and cold. Plus, it is found worldwide, mostly in places where mossy plants grow, such as lichen. Water bears are herbivorous, and they eat the lichen for food.

In conclusion, humans may be able to duplicate these incredible and unique properties of these special animals, with the help of modern science and technology. Humans may one day sport these amazing abilities...

A few pics of newly re-discovered animals

A coelacanth. Originally thought to be extinct, a large, fine specimen was caught in African waters in the year 1938.

An adult La Palma Giant Lizard. Extremely rare, there are only about 50 mature adults in existence that are ready for breeding.

The Arakan Forest Turtle, Heosemys depressa(not mentioned in post). Believed to be extinct since 1908, several dead specimens turned up in a Chinese food market in 1994. They are sold in Asian markets for food and are used in traditional Chinese medical cures.

Some animals that were thought extinct, then re-discovered...

Some animals were once thought lost to history, like the dinosaurs, who were killed due to natural unknown causes, and other animals who were driven to extinction by humans, such as the dodo. However, the 20th and 21st centuries saw the re-discoveries of some of hese rare and elusive creatures, once thought to be lost to mankind...

The coelacanth is one good example of an animal that was thought to be extinct. There ae two subspecies, Latimeria chalumnae and Latimeria menadoensis. It was re-discovered in the year 1938 by the curator of a museum, off the coast of South Africa. Since then, sightings have been reported off the coast of the Comoros Islands, and even the waters around Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is a fairly large fish, averaging 2 metres in length, and was around during the Cretaceous period, about 65 million years ago.

Another creature once thought to be extinct is the Cuban Solenodon, Solenodon cubanus. It is found in the country Cuba, and it is threatened by habitat loss and the introduction of human pets, such as dogs and cats. it also suffers attacks from mongooses, which are predators introduced into the area. it was thought to be extinct until several indivuals were discovered alive in 1974, 1975 and as recently as the year 2003. It possesses toxic saliva for protection.

One more creature whos existence was unknown was the La Palma Giant Lizard, Galliota auaritae. There are fewer than 50 mature indivuals left in the wild, and it is only found in Northern La Palma, Spain. It was extinct for 2000 years until its recent rediscovery in 2007, when some indivuals were found on a steep rock face of the Canary islands. This protected the lizards from their natural enemy, cats.

Though these are just a few of the creatures that were rediscovered, I feel that there are many more out there, waiting to be found and studied...