The Creature That Breathes Without Lungs

#RareNatureLab #Cassowary #DinosaurBird #NatureIsMetal #AnimalFacts

Transcript

00:00Did you know there's an animal that breathes without lungs?

00:03I'm not kidding.

00:06Meet the Heneguia salmanicola, a tiny parasite that lives inside salmon.

00:12For the longest time, we thought every single animal on Earth needed oxygen to survive.

00:18It's like rule number one of being alive, right?

00:23Well, this little guy just broke the rule.

00:27Scientists were studying it and noticed something was missing.

00:30The mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells that use oxygen to make energy, were completely gone.

00:39It's the first and only animal we've ever found that doesn't breathe.

00:43So how does it live?

00:45We're still figuring that out, but it seems to steal energy directly from its fish host.

00:51It's like having a roommate who doesn't pay rent and also uses your charger without asking.

00:56Nature is just full of surprises.

00:59If you thought that was cool, hit that subscribe button for more mind-blowing facts.