Six creatures that would survive a nuclear apocalypse – and the animal 300 TIMES more resilient than humans

If nuclear war was to ever break out, the beasties would ensure the world doesn't become a lifeless wasteland.

By Dan Elsom

11th August 2017, 1:59 pm

Updated: 25th September 2017, 1:48 pm

IF a global nuclear war was to ever break out, humans would be in a lot of trouble.

Unfortunately for us, our tolerance to radiation is nowhere near the level required to survive a nuclear blast and the majority of us would perish in the initial Armageddon of fire and fury.

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What would be left alive in a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland?

And even if you did manage to get to a bunker, or hide away underground and avoid the barrage, with almost every living thing on the planet either dead or severely affected by radiation, the human race would eventually fizzle out.

But it's not entirely bad, as long as you are a cockroach, predatory arachnid or micro bacteria.

While humans and mammals would be toast in a nuclear apocalypse, there are plenty of Earth's creatures that could still survive.

Wasps

The parasitic braconidae wasp is the toughest animal currently living on earth.

Able to survive 300 times more radiation than humans, there is no doubt they would survive nuclear war.

They are incredibly smart insects, having been trained in the past to sniff out drugs and chemical weapons like a tiny, flying police dog.

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Tiny parasitic wasps can survive immense levels of radiation

Fruit flies

These flying insects would add to the air traffic along with tiny wasps, leaving the earth's post-war atmosphere buzzing with life.

Fruit flies can tolerate 100 times more radiation than humans, and with a life cycle of just 30 days, they don't need much to sustain them.

Shame there won't be any fruit around for them to eat.

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Fruit flies' size bodes well for them, as there are less cells to be affected by radiation

Cockroaches

Hailed as one of the most resilient animals on the planet, the thought of a world overrun by cockroaches is enough to make you almost thankful that we won't be around to see it.

The insects can survive radiation levels up to 15 times higher than humans, meaning they are more than likely to withstand the after effects of a nuclear bomb blast.