Snakes and Legs

Before snakes slithered, they had limbs similar to those of lizards. To better adapt to their
environment of small holes in the ground, they lost their legs. Without legs, snakes were able to
fit into a tighter space in which they could hide from predators. The first species of snakes
existed at a time when most reptiles didn’t go above the ground for their prey, but burrowed in
search of food, so this adaptation was particularly helpful. Modern boas and pythons actually
still have small stubs where their legs used to be millions of years ago.
Mice and Large Ears
Mice have very large ears as a result of evolutionary adaptation. Mice are nocturnal creatures,
meaning they are primarily active at night, but they do not have night vision. Instead, they
adapted to activity in the dark by developing incredible hearing capabilities. Mice can hear
oncoming predators earlier than they could without their relatively large ears. Coupled with
their quickness, mice can use their heightened auditory senses to escape from a snake or bird
of prey before it is too late. Compared with the small ears of rats, it’s easy to see why one
animal is a quick and nimble forest-dweller, while the other is more of lumbering scavenger
that relies in part on human garbage.
Giraffes and Long Necks
One of the textbook examples of evolutionary adaptation is the long-necked giraffe. The
evolution of the giraffe’s long neck occurred so that the animal could reach leaves in taller trees.
But the story of giraffe’s long necks is even more complex than that. Giraffes have very long legs,
but they do not bend their knees. In order to drink from a pool of water, they require a long neck
that can reach all the way down to the water. In addition to reaching tall leaves and low water,
giraffes’ neck length is useful for many purposes, including spars between males.
Barrel Cactus
Now, let’s look at our cacti. These are plants adapted for the desert. There are many varieties of
cacti. You will see that all of them have very thin leaves. In fact, they aren’t called needles
anymore; they are called thorns. Look at this barrel cactus and you will see its many leaves in the
form of thorns all over its stem. The stem is very thick, and this is where the plant stores its water.
Because water is scarce in the desert, the plant soaks up and stores whatever water it can when
it rains and then uses its water reserve when there is no water.
Seaweed
First, the seaweed. This is an aquatic plant. It is adapted for underwater life. This plant has its
own air bubble in each leaf that provides the necessary space for the exchange of oxygen from
the water to the plant. It also helps keep the seaweed upright. The leaves of underwater aquatic
plants are also softer then above ground plants. This softness allows the plant to move easily
with the wave without breaking.