Evolutionary Mash-up: Seahorse

Welcome back to Evolutionary Mash-up! Last week we learned about the fairy shrimp and its ability to produce eggs that can dry up and survive in harsh living conditions until suitable living conditions occur again. This week we take a look at the seahorse and discuss why it contains traits that would be helpful to […]

Evolutionary Mash-up: Fairy Shrimp

It is finally October and you know what that means–watching scary movies about zombies or possessed dolls threatening to take over the world in post-apocalyptic fashion. After some people watch these horror films, they may start to wonder “how would I survive if a zombie/possessed doll apocalypse really did happen?” No need to fear, science […]

Evolutionary Mash-up Finale: The Cone Snail

The assassin lies in wait for its target to draw near. He has found the perfect cover, hiding motionless beneath the sand, as his target approaches. Once his target is within reach, the assassin uses extreme muscle control to inch a poison tipped harpoon toward his target. Closer and closer the harpoon draws, laced with […]

Evolutionary Mash-up: Coconut Crab

Let’s play a game. You are stranded on an island. You have circled the perimeter of the island and have climbed to the highest point on the island. In your exploration, you find that there are no people on the island and not a single sign of animal life anywhere. Birds do not travel to […]

Evolutionary Mash-up: Electric Eel

There has been a number of occasions in my life where I wished I had the ability to shoot electricity from my fingers. Inspired by the Emperor (or Sheev Palpatine for you star wars fanatics out there) from the Star Wars movie series, shooting electricity from my hands would come in handy when I need […]

Evolutionary Mash-ups: The Northern Lampfish

The transcendent battle between predator and prey has shaped the evolution of animals both on the land and in the sea. An insect blending in with its leafy background to hide from a hungry chameleon. A hungry chameleon blending in with its leafy background to sneak up on an oblivious insect. But this tale as […]

Evolutionary Mash-up: Australian Box Jellyfish

*To gain a greater appreciation for this post, be sure to read the previous “Evolutionary Mash-ups” posts about giraffe necks, dragonfly wings, and chameleon tongues. I take the best adaptations natural selections has to offer and combine them into one animal. At the end of this post I will combine all four “Evolutionary Mash-ups” animals […]

Evolutionary Mash-ups: Veiled Chameleon Tongue

*To gain a greater appreciation for the post, be sure to read the previous “Evolutionary Mash-ups” posts about giraffe necks and dragonfly wings. I take the best adaptations natural selections has to offer and combine them into one animal. At the end of the month, check out my post where I combine all four “Evolutionary […]

Evolutionary Mash-ups: Dragonfly Wings

Never have I looked more stupid than when I tried to catch a dragonfly in a net. Bug catching has been a hobby of mine for a few years now. One summer, as I was out catching bugs in the mountains, a beautiful blue darner dragonfly zipped in and out of my peripheral field of […]

Evolutionary Mash-ups! Giraffe Necks

Whether young or old, we humans have been enthralled with the amazing world of animals. We go to the zoo to see animals in person, we watch animals in their natural habitat on the television, we even watch action films like X-men where the human heroes have interesting mutations, most of which may well be […]