The 5 Hardest Working Animals

Some can work non-stop throughout the day, others are more skilled at building their homes. Among them are birds, fish, rodents and invertebrates.

We are not referring to species that have been domesticated by man for agricultural tasks, but to the hardest working animals in nature. Get to know them in this article.

What are the hardest working animals out there?

They can work without rest for days, lift a lot of weight, walk miles and even build their own homes in comfort. These are the hardest working animals there are:

1. Beaver

These  semiaquatic rodents from North America and Eurasia  – but introduced in other latitudes, such as South America – are one of the main examples of workers in the animal kingdom.

Beavers – photo that opens this article –  have the ability to build dikes in streams and rivers, in order to enjoy comfortable dens for their large family. For this they use branches and trunks, which they cut using their sharp teeth.

Dikes are formed by the stagnation of water, thus allowing the control of floods and the passage of pollutants. This does not happen in the lands where these animals were introduced, as their customs have negative consequences for the environment.

1. ant

Ants are a clear example of teamwork and sacrifice for your family. These insects – relatives of wasps and  bees  –  not only create their own homes with everything in their path, but also work hard to keep them  in good condition and away from predators.

Their working hours are very long and they hardly rest: workers spend a good part of their lives awake, feed the larvae, repair the  anthill, look for food and defend their homes from the entry of strangers.

1. worm

It plays a very important role in ecology, as it is responsible for ingesting organic waste and turning it into fertile soil full of many nutrients. To do this, they  must spend hours and hours digging tunnels in the earth and eating as much as possible.

They can ingest 90% of their own weight per day, of which they excrete up to 60%. And the most curious thing of all is that they don’t have teeth! They have a very efficient digestive system, which includes a sucking mouth and a large intestine.

1. labridae

This is a family of   colorful fish with more than 500 species and a more than tiring task:  cleaning up the parasites accumulated in the coral reefs. But that’s not all, as they sometimes continue their work by eliminating the remains contained in the fins, mouths and tails of other marine animals.

Without a doubt,  labridae  are one of the hardest working animals on the planet, as they almost never stop. Their mouths are like vacuum cleaners, leaving everything they touch clean. They are friends of all fish and get paid for their homework at the exact same time!

1. Ptilonorhynchidae

This bird – in this case, the male – could not be left out of the list of the hardest working animals, because their task is really worthy of admiration. To attract your partner, build a very special nest with leaves, branches and sticks collected around you.

He can spend hours choosing the objects he will place in his new home.  If, for some reason, during your absence one of the elements leaves its place – for example, by the wind – it will put it back where it was.

The collection and placement of objects does not follow a certain pattern and there are no two identical nests. When mating time comes,  the females “ Ptilonorhynchidae ” inspect the work and choose the nest they like the most and which are of the best quality. Bad designers can be without a partner!