The second in our series on animals with gold-medal-worthy abilities in celebration of the Olympics.

Lynx and Snowshoe Hare
When it comes to ability to navigate deep snows, it’s anyone’s guess whether the snowshoe hare or the lynx would take the gold. However, they might be perfect ice dancing partners because their huge feet would allow them to glide gracefully over the ice. In the wild, their big tootsies allow them to get around in several feet of the white stuff without sinking.  The hares have the extra advantage of their pure white winter coat, which provides excellent camouflage in their frozen habitat, but even that doesn’t always save them from the lynxes’ exceptional agility, hearing, eyesight and sense of smell.

VIDEO: Watch the dramatic action of a lynx hunting a hare.  Who will survive?

Bush Baby
These tiny primates live in the treetops and have incredible leaping abilities, ski jump anyone?  As they prowl the tropical forests at night looking for fruits and insects to devour, bush babies can make leaps of 20 feet or more, which is many times their own body length. They are great jumpers and acrobats and perfect for the freestyle aerials too but they also move in complete silence and can see in almost absolute darkness with the help of their huge eyes.

VIDEO: Watch our friends at the Woodland Park Zoo talk about some very cute bush baby babies!

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Published: February 18, 2010