Animals have certain abilities that can be called superpowers because they are, essentially, extremely extraordinary skills that make them superior to other species.

Think about it for a second – imagine a human having the ability to camouflage like an octopus, or have the most basic ability of a bird to fly. Superhuman powers for us, but they’re just a natural skill for these animals.

Here are some of the top animals that have superpowers

Dogs

PHOTO: Unsplash/Jamie Street

I swear I’m not biased when I list dogs first on this list. It’s just that one of their many abilities is directly beneficial to humans and you probably already guessed which ability I’m talking about.

Dogs are capable of smelling cancer and are able to detect things such as our stress levels. Another thing they’re extremely good at is that they understand humans by just observing our body language and know how to process our emotions by listening to our tone.

Cats

PHOTO: Unsplash/Amber Kipp

The evil geniuses that they are, cats also possess a superpower in the form of their whiskers. If Spiderman has his Spidey-Sense, then cats have their whisker sense.

A cat’s whiskers are not equivalent to a mustache; they are actually a piece of sensory equipment that is capable of sensing minute vibrations in the air. Whiskers have super-sensitive nerves that help cats measure distances and catch their prey. They use their whiskers every day, and they can also experience whisker fatigue due to overstimulation. Another fun fact about whiskers is that they are the same width as their body so cats use them to check if they can fit into a space or not.

Owls

PHOTO: Unsplash/Bob Brewer

Hoo-hoo! These owls may be cute, but they’re extremely great predators. Given their shy nature, humans are relatively safe from an owl’s sharp talons, but if you’re one of their prey, tough luck, buddy.

The owl’s superpower is its silent flight. Barn Owls, for example, produce virtually no sound, and considering that they are one of the larger species of owls, this superpower is all the more amazing. Scientists attribute the owl’s ability for silent flight to their unique and large wings and their feathers that act as a silencer. Another superpower that owls have is that they have incredible hearing; an owl’s head acts as a radar, and some even have the ability to work out where a sound is coming from, both in height and in direction. This ability allows them to hunt prey that are hidden underground.

Wolverines

PHOTO: Unsplash/Hans Veth

The superhero we all know and love is known for his retractable adamantium claws. The animal version does have long and powerful claws, but their superpower is actually their sense of smell.

Wolverines rely on their sense of smell to find food even if it’s buried 20 feet below the snow, and they can even smell the scent of a dead animal from miles away, for they are known to be scavengers that feed on large animals such as deer and elk. Another thing about wolverines is that they seem to know how to utilize snow as refrigerators to help keep their food fresh.

Elephants

PHOTO: Unsplash/Nam Anh

For such a big creature, you’d think that they’d possess a noticeable superpower. But no, the superpower that they have can’t actually be detected by humans. Elephants are usually associated with their trumpet sounds, but they actually communicate with each other with infrasounds.

Infrasounds have a frequency between 1-20 Hertz, and humans are unable to hear these sounds. But elephants are able to communicate with each using these low frequencies even with a distance of over 10 kilometers. Elephants use this ability to guide their herd, fend off competitors, and keep tabs on a separated calf.

For more animals with superpowers, watch the video below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJKOZmATL0w