7 rare animals that can live without oxygen

Oxygen is essential for humans, animals, and plants. It is vital for generating energy through cellular respiration. Surprisingly there are some rare animals (7) which live in this world without oxygen.

The naked mole-rat lives in underground in East Africa. It a unique animal which has wrinkly, pinkish skin, and is almost hairless and hence looking quite 'naked'. These animals are special because they can live for over 30 years. They rarely get sick. They live in large groups called colonies. Only one female is there, that is the queen. Other rats take care of the young ones of the queen. They communicate with each other using different sounds. They have strong teeth that they use, to dig tunnels in the ground.

It is a tiny parasite that lives in the muscles of salmon fish. It is special because it does not need oxygen to survive, which is very unusual for animals. This parasite has fewer than 10 cells and lacks mitochondria, the part of the cell that usually helps in breathing. Instead of using oxygen, it gets energy from the fish cells around it.

They are like giant worms that live in the deep sea near hot springs called hydrothermal vents. They don't have a mouth or tummy as we have. Instead, they have tiny bacteria living inside them that make food for them. It uses chemicals from the vents. Some tubeworms can grow to be taller than humanbeings. They can live for a very long time, over 200 years, which is longer than anyone!

These are tiny animals that live in the deep sea. They are so small that one needs a microscope to see them. These creatures have a protective shell around their body called a lorica. Some loriciferans can live in places without any oxygen, which is abnormal. Scientists are still studying about how these mysterious animals live without oxygen.

Brine shrimp are small creatures that live in very salty water, like salt lakes. They can survive in water with high salt levels, which most animals cannot tolerate. They have special ways to filter food from the water, mainly tiny green algae. They are important because many birds, like flamingos, eat them to stay healthy. Brine shrimp can also lay eggs that stay safe for a long time until conditions are right for hatching.

Spinoloricus cinziae is a tiny animal that lives in the deep sea where there is no oxygen. It was the first animal discovered that doesn't need oxygen at any point in its life. Instead of using mitochondria like most animals, it has special cell parts called hydrogenosomes that help it to get energy. It has a mouth cone with eight oral ridges and spikes on its body. This creature lives in the Mediterranean Sea.

They are tiny worms that live in the soil and can survive in many different places. They live in the spaces between soil particles, moving in thin films of water. Some nematodes can even live in extreme places like polar regions and very hot areas. Some nematodes are plant parasites. They play an important role in the soil food chain, both as predators and as food for other creatures.