These Animals Thrive in the Hottest Places on Earth

Pupfish, foxes, and asses are among the creatures that like it hot.

When the outdoors feels like it's set on broil, we humans can usually retreat into air-conditioned spaces.

Wild animals don’t have that luxury. But here are five tough cookies that manage to beat the heat in some of the hottest places on Earth. (Also read: "By 2100 Deadly Heat May Threaten Majority of Humankind.")

The many species of pupfish, found in the Americas and Caribbean, are so hardy and adaptable that "if you give them water [fresh or salty, high or low temperature] they’re fine," says Evan Carson, a biologist at the University of New Mexico.

Carson says some pupfish could be considered extremophiles, animals with a tolerance for excessively harsh conditions. (Related: "5 Extreme Life-Forms that Live on

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