Plenty of animals can handle extreme heat and, for obvious reasons, they tend to live in the tropics, often in deserts.
Camels, for instance, can cope with temperatures of up to 49°C, thanks largely to their humps, where lots of their fat is stored. These allow them to lose body heat rapidly and efficiently. In addition, their densely furred coats and leathery foot-pads insulate them from the scorching midday heat. As a last resort, they sweat to cool down, though seldom need to.
Desert animals (camels included) also have a range of adaptations to reduce how much water they lose, so can endure remarkably long periods without taking on fresh supplies. Reptiles are brilliant at it, which explains why deserts are home to an impressive variety of snakes and lizards.
Australian lizards called thorny devils can actually absorb water directly through their skin. Reptiles can also bury themselves in the desert sand and enter a hibernation-like state known as torpor, during which they slow their metabolism right down, to make it through the toughest conditions. Africa’s golden moles do this, too.
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Many other desert animals rely on behavioural strategies to survive the blistering heat. They might, like the mice-like jerboas for example, dig burrows to shelter from the sun and then emerge at night when the air is somewhat cooler.
But among desert dwellers, ants are truly exceptional in their ability to take extreme heat in their stride. Two closely related species, the Sahara silver ant and Sahara desert ant, are known to survive when their body temperature hits an amazing 53°C, albeit for a short time. As far as we know, no land animal can brave that sort of heat indefinitely.
When it comes to heat tolerance, however, the planetary record-holder never sets foot on land: it’s a deep-sea worm. Discovered in the early 1980s, the Pompeii worm inhabits hydrothermal vents on the deep ocean floor, where the water is superheated to around 80°C. A thick layer of bacteria encases the worm’s body and acts as fleecy protection.
One other group of animals can beat even this performance – though not while still active. Tardigrades, or water bears, are tiny creatures that shrivel into minuscule balls called tuns when the going gets tough. In this strange resting, immobile state, the tuns are able to withstand temperatures as high as 149°C. Unscathed, the tuns rehydrate into tardigrades when things improve.
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