It’s no walk in the park to lug a heavy roof on your back day after day. But it does have its perks. If the land tortoise can't win a footrace, it can, at a moment's notice, hole up in its motorhome. Tucked away in its snug Winnebago, the long-suffering reptile sits deathly still for hours on end, weathering the harshest of hailstorms. To fend off cabin fever, the tortoise practices its breathwork, contemplates impermanence, transcends present-moment awareness to release attachment and catch glimpses of nirvana. Or maybe it orders takeout and mindlessly scrolls its socials. Either way, the tortoise won't go to pieces when the ice is flying.

As a typhoon approaches, the frog phlegmatically weighs its options. It can take cover under a log, in the depths of a pond, nestled within dense vegetation. When you're adaptable to diverse environments, when you can take a deep breath through your lungs or your skin, when you're an open-minded networker who moves within heterogenous social circles, odds are, you'll survive (or even thrive) amid life's unpredictable curve balls.

While more than a few species will panic in a tornado, a mole won't spin out over the natural disaster. The keenest of doomsday preppers, this small yet claw-heavy creature works overtime to construct the ultimate survival chamber. Dimly lit yet cozy, the mole's underground dugout is likely to withstand the fiercest wind and debris. And the diminutive dynamo gladly sacrifices happy hour for mortal security. A contented introvert, it eagerly anticipates the chance to retreat into its bunker, don the Snuggie Grandma gave it last Christmas, and catch up on its Netflix playlist.

In its infinite wisdom, the burrowing owl knows how to deal with Mother Nature's mood swings. Foreseeing a hurricane, the nightbird won't fly into a tizzy. While other birds end up trapped in ferocious winds and rain, this one shrewdly steers clear. The owl will yawn, wash the breakfast dishes, embark on yet another leisurely house-hunt. This savvy pragmatist sidesteps the mole's long hours of manual labor by heading to Zillow, typing "abandoned burrow" into the search bar, filtering the search with a few personal must-haves: short-term lease, immediate occupancy, subterranean lot; single-story, one and a half baths, hardwood floors.  

Formal, business, or casual, the penguin knows just what to wear. Trade show to tempest, movie premiere to midnight sun, the posh bird is always dressed to impress. If the penguin dons the same white-tie attire for every occasion, the faux pas is deliberate--and well received. After all, Christian Siriano says it's better to overdress than underdress. Still, the penguin manages to look effortlessly chic. And every penguin worth its tailcoat will tell you it only takes one fashion-forward fowl to set a wildly popular trend. (Ever heard of the penguin effect?)

Winter's frost can't faze the mighty elk. It moves to south-facing slopes, dons its Ray-Bans, kicks back to catch some rays. If it's still a tad chilly, the elk might huddle with its herd. And when its homies decide to ghost it for no good reason, self-respect never eludes the tough-skinned beast. Thanks to its dense undercoat and thick guard hairs, the mighty elk can smoothly survive both nippy weather and frosty relations.ere

The polar bear can sleep through a blizzard (without ear plugs, no less). Snug in a den or even a shallow snowpit, the arctic titan can't be bothered, let alone blitzed. Let the winds howl. Let the snow pile up. The noble beast will keep on snoring.

Rip currents can violently tear sea animals from the shoreline into deeper water, severing them from their young and their vital habitats. But Flipper won't flip out over a rip current. Diving headlong into the raging channel, the dolphin swims parallel to shore, dodging every current's pull with agile precision and fearless optimism. The maritime medalist might even see the hazard as a prime dining opportunity. As its prey move with the treacherous current, the dolphin will sometimes swim against it, bagging the ultimate seafood extravaganza with unrivaled efficiency. When life tosses its inevitable lemons, this cheerful creature makes a whole lot of lemonade!

Will the camel lose its cool in a black blizzard? It's unlikely. To avoid inhaling airborne sand, the humped stoic will entirely close off its nostrils. And when you have not one, not two, but three eyelids per eye, a sandstorm won't send you to the ophthalmologist. Especially when your triple-screened blinkers are adorned with longer eyelashes than Kim Kardashian's. Who needs Kimmy's two-hour makeup routine? The camel wakes up looking pretty. And feeling placid, despite those pesky sandstorms on the horizon.

Any storm, even a localized, short-lived one, will send most birds frantically flying in the other direction. It's not so easy to harsh an eagle's mellow. The dissentient raptor will neither turn tail nor seek shelter. In fact, it will fly straight into the squall. Why ruffle your feathers over life's inevitable turbulence when you can ride it like the Matterhorn at Disneyland? Seatbelt half-fastened, the eagle deliberately rides a squall's powerful updrafts to higher, safer altitudes. It literally rises above the storm.

While the seahorse is a weak swimmer, it never fails to turn heads on the beach. That shapely allure, that instinctive flair for choosing the right swimsuit for its delicate body type--the whole package arouses interest. But there's far more to this aquatic cutie than meets the eye. Its daily practice of noble silence is no small victory. While its dainty anatomy and highly sensitive temperament are best suited to calm, shallow waters, the seahorse won't hesitate to make a gutsy power move; lesser fish respect its quiet authority. Inviting the attention of select sea creatures, the miniature merbeast thwarts unwelcome oglers. Like magic, it can change its own color and texture, seamlessly vanishing into the background of this or that milieu. At a nightclub, the little heartbreaker glows up and down at will, frustrating charmer and predator alike while sportively maintaining the highest kill rate in the room. All this without breaking a well-polished nail. Yes, a tidal whirlpool might leave Mighty Mite feeling a bit mashed. But no masher's maelstrom can suck the seahorse into its vortex.

During a tidal wave, no one needs to tell the starfish to get a grip. With thousands of tiny suction cups as feet, this pint-sized powerhouse firmly anchors itself to an embedded rock as the oceanic surges, massive and violent, try in vain to sweep it away. Who would guess that the small-scale samson was born without a backbone? What it lacks in congenital courage, it makes up for in hard-won grit, resolve, and dignity. Like it or not, the biggest bully on the planet will come to know the starfish as a force to be reckoned with.