• Question: what is your favourite animal and its adaptation and why?

    Asked by to Claire, Ian, Sergey, Vicky, Zena on 17 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Claire Shooter

      Claire Shooter answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      I love sharks because they have the coolest adaptation ever: electrodetection.
      Sharks can detect electricity because they have little pores called ‘Ampullae of Lorenzini ‘ which are linked to nerves that activate when the electric charge outside the pore changes. Sharks have these concentrated mostly around their mouths.
      These are the cool things electrodetection allows sharks to do:
      Hunt – Every time your nerves fire (movement, heartbeat, thought) they send a little electric charge. Sharks can detect these charges, which allows them to hunt fish in pitch darkness
      Navigate – Sharks travel incredibly long distances in the oceans. It has been theorized that their electrodetection helps them navigate, as they can use it to sense changes in ocean currents and perhaps even the earth’s magnetic field

      Some animals which emit electricity as well as detecting it can use it for very basic communication (such as the ‘Jamming Avoidance Response’): electricity is kind of similar to sound in that it’s amplitude and frequency can be modified. That means if you can emit it and detect it in the same way we emit and detect sound, it could be used to have a conversation. I think if we ever meet telepathic aliens they will probably communicate through electrodetection.

      Awesome.

    • Photo: Vicky Schneider

      Vicky Schneider answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      ohhh there are so many…of course chameleons and how they’re able to blend to the background, similarly butterflies that can be mistaken by leaves…all adaptations to avoid predators eating them 😉 I also like mimicry rings where one moth for example is really distasteful and has aposematics colours (red, yellow, white and black) and birds learned that bleagh rather not eat those, so other species which are atctually tasty have evolved to show similar colours or patterns and therefore avoid being eaten too 🙂

    • Photo: Ian Simpson

      Ian Simpson answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      It has to be the Peregrine Falcon. I’m a big fan of raptors in general, but these birds are extraordinary.

      They have evolved into a peerless hunter and can achieve speeds of c.200mph in their hunting stoops (dive-bombing!) making them the fastest animal on Earth. The highest recorded speed is just over 240mph, faster than an F1 racing car. They have special bones to deflect the air away from their lungs when diving so that they don’t explode under the air pressure and have “niscitating membranes” basically third eyelids that slide across the eye to protect them in the dive and when attacking their prey (don’t want blood splattered onto their eyes !).

      Globally they are an extremely wide-spread bird and can be found here in the UK especially in Northen England, Scotland and the West coast. There are currently about 15 breeding pairs in the UK.

    • Photo: Sergey Lamzin

      Sergey Lamzin answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      I totally adore elephants.
      Having a trunk must be so awesome.
      I wish I had one… or at least extra arms.

Comments