It may be uneasy to randomly think of animals that can live without food for a long time, but it is not impossible.
Food is an important part of the survival of both humans and animals. However, for humans, there are times when food isn’t a priority, and we choose to fast. Well, there are some animals that do not care so much about food also.
One of these can go for 3 decades (30 years) or longer without eating a thing or even having a drink of water.
Yes, it is true that such animals are less in number than those that can’t live long without nourishing themselves with food, and this is because such animals have a fast metabolism.
At the tarpan, we are excited to share exciting facts such as this with our readers, so we have compiled a list of 14 animals that can live without food for a long time.
You may not have heard about a few of them before, but we are certain that number 14 will shock you.
Animals That Can Live Without Food for a Long Time
These animals have been arranged in no specific order.
1. Domestic Cats can go without food for 2 weeks
Domestic cats may look like very demanding little fellows, but they can choose to let you be when they don’t feel like eating.
This isn’t something that happens often, and it mainly depends on the amount of food and water that they are initially fed and their overall health. A healthy and overfed cat can last for up to 2 weeks without food.
2. Camels can go without food for 2 months
Many people know camels are very rugged animals that can travel long distances and survive for a time without water. However, not everyone knows that camels can also live for up to two months without food.
Camels do not have their humps for anything, as they use them to store fatty tissue, which is often used as a source of nourishment in the lack of food and water.
3. The great white shark can go without food for 3 months
Sharks are not the least consumers when it comes to food. A great white shark can consume up to 11 tons of food a year, and that is a whole lot for a single animal!
Usually, when this animal eats a one-time meal, it may not bother about food for up to 3 months. Once the three months are over, it may resume hunting again.
4. Bear can go without food for 3 months
Bears are not only cute on tv and scary in real life but they are also often called great hibernators. This is for no other reason asides from the fact that they can go for more than 3 months without exercising, eating, drinking, defecating, or urinating.
If this isn’t news to you, then I wonder how many more facts you already know.
5. Emperor penguins can go without food for 3 months
The penguins are no softies. The male emperor penguins have no choice but to deal with the extreme Antarctic winter cold for over 3 months whilst they try to protect their eggs.
During this time, they only pay attention to the eggs they protect and eat nothing till their job is done.
6. The humpback whale can go without food for 6 months
Humpback whales have a very unique look, and that is not a mistake. These aquatic giants use their blubber to store some extra fat each time they feed during the summer, which will, in turn, afford them the chance to go without food for up to 6 months.
7. Ball python can go without food for up to 6 months
Ball python snakes are not among the world’s friendliest animals, but they sure are amongst those that have a lower metabolic rate that helps them conserve energy well enough to go for a very long period of time (up to 6 months) without food.
These snakes simply use the energy they have conserved to survive.
8. Galapagos tortoise can go without food for up to 1 year
Did you know that the Galapagos tortoises are the largest tortoise in the world? Now you know. These giant shelled reptiles have very big internal storage for water, and they also boast of a slow metabolism. This is a good thing in many ways as it helps them to survive without food for up to an entire year.
9. Scorpion can survive for up to 1 year
Scorpions are the bad guys most of the time, but they sure aren’t on the list of foodies in the animal world. Scorpions naturally eat one-third of their body weight in a single meal.
This alone is known to help them to slow down their metabolism and deal with their nutrition. Now you can guess why it is possible for them to go up to a year without food.
10. Burrowing frog can survive without food for up to 1 year
There are some interesting facts about frogs that you probably never heard before. A burrowing frog can remain buried in mud for up to a year without food. These frogs do this by conserving their energy when there is a shortage of resources after experiencing a period of torpor.
11. The crocodile can survive without food for up to 3 years
Crocodiles may be mean animals, but they can preserve their energy by remaining motionless, thus helping them to stay up to 3 years without food. However, that only happens after enjoying a good and heavy meal.
12. Olm can survive without food for up to 10 years
You may not have heard about an Olm before, but it is an actual creature. When food is scarce, an Olm will reduce their activity and metabolic rate. These animals can also reabsorb their own tissue (that gives me the creeps if I’m honest), helping them last for up to 10 years without eating.
13. Tardigrade can survive without food for up to 30 years
A tardigrade is not only weird-looking; it goes into a state of cryptobiosis. This is a state that is also known as a state of lowered metabolism. The metabolism of a Tardigrade lowers to 0.01% of their regular rate, and their water content can also drastically reduce to 1%.
This makes them able to survive without food for more than 3 decades (30 years).
14. Spiders can go without food for a couple of months
Spiders are not great hunters as they have to wait for insects to crawl into their webs before they eat. What this means is that these creatures can survive a few months between getting fresh catches.
So, guys, these are 14 of the world’s strongest animals when it comes to surviving without food for a long time. Let us know your thoughts and also add others you think should be on this list!
