Animals That Can Live Without Oxygen

BY: PRAGATI UPADHYAY

This tiny parasite, found in salmon, is the only known animal that doesn't need oxygen to live.

Henneguya Salminicola

Tardigrades can survive in space, without air, and even extreme radiation. They enter a death-like state called cryptobiosis.

Tardigrades 

Discovered in deep-sea mud, these microscopic animals thrive in oxygen-free, highly toxic environments.

Loricifera

Some intestinal parasites adapt to anaerobic digestion — thriving without oxygen inside their hosts.

Parasites

Goldfish can survive without oxygen for hours by turning carbohydrates into alcohol in low-oxygen water.

Goldfish

Understanding these creatures could help us explore alien environments, deep-sea life, and disease resilience.

Matters For Science