The possibility for discovering new evolutionary traces and hypotheses is unlimited, which makes evolution extremely interesting. Researchers have achieved enormous progress in researching evolution throughout the course of their decades-long investigations. Some of these revelations are quite fascinating. Here are some of the weirdest and most interesting animal evolutions.
1. Instead of being hostile and aggressive, bonobos have evolved to be sympathetic toward strangers. They are linked to humans in the same way as chimps are. They are, in fact, the only primates that do not kill.
Bonobos are always ready to assist strangers. They developed this kind of conduct in order to meet their social requirements. They demonstrated a pure feeling of generosity throughout the study, sharing meals with total strangers without any requests or incentives.
Even when meeting strangers in groups, bonobos prefer to engage in a smooth and pleasant manner. They live in peaceful matriarchal groups and communicate with each other via sophisticated vocal sounds.
Female bonobos will almost certainly leave their family group once they reach maturity, thus getting along with strangers is crucial for them.
Bonobos and chimps share 98 percent of their DNA, yet their behavior is very different. Unlike bonobos, chimps are aggressive and violent. They will only assist members of their own groups if they are asked to.
In times of stress, calm monkeys have been found to prefer embraces over fights. [Source]
2. In the Issus genus, there is an insect that has developed mechanical gears. On top of its legs, the creature possesses shark-fin teeth that interlock neatly like a zipper. The two little legs are locked in a ready-to-leap posture. The leg gears assist the insect in locking its legs together, jumping, and disappearing in a fraction of a second.
The bug is classified as a “planthopper insect,” and it is one of the animal kingdom’s quickest runners. It feeds mainly on European climbing ivy and has honed its acrobatic abilities in order to avoid harm.
At 400 g’s, the problem vanishes in less than two milliseconds. According to researchers, these abilities are the result of intense pressure to grow quicker and leap higher.
Although there are quicker insects than Issus, the insect is credited with being the first living thing to be found with a working gear.
As it develops, the Issus molts six times, and by the time it reaches maturity, it has lost its gears. [Source]
3. There are 15 kinds of ants, including Colobopsis explodens, that destroy themselves by exploding to defend their territory. When stinging wasn’t enough to keep some of their predators at bay, they developed this selfless capacity to kill one or more foes. They simply wrap themselves around the enemy and burst, releasing a sticky caustic material in the process.
Minor workers within this ant group, the sterile females, deliberately break their body walls when attacked by other insects. To spray the adversary with the brilliant yellow gland fluid, they gently angulate their backs towards them.
The attacker is overcome by the poisonous liquid, and they both perish. According to the researchers, this sticky liquid has an awful curry-like odor.
Colobopsis explodens, one of the 15 suicide ants, is located on Borneo, a Southeast Asian island. Colobopsis cylindrical is the ant species that includes all of these ants.
These ants, however, aren’t the only ones that employ this suicidal defensive strategy. Some pea aphids and termites have been seen using the same strategy.
The animal habit of self-sacrifice is known as “autothysis.” [Source]
4. A rooster’s typical crow is about 130 dB, which is approximately the same level you’d hear if you were 15 meters away from an aircraft taking off. So roosters developed soft tissues that cover half of their eardrums when crowing to avoid deafness from their own crowing.
The crow of a rooster may deafen a person standing extremely near to it. Their crowing may reach a level of over 140 decibels. Standing in the center of a busy aircraft carrier produces the same level of noise.
Researchers utilized a microcomputerized scan to generate a 3D x-ray image of the birds’ head to learn how they endure their own screaming. While the rooster’s mouth was open for crowing, it was discovered that a fourth of its ear canal was totally blocked. In addition, soft tissues covered half of its eardrum.
As a result, it was determined that the roosters are unable to hear their own screaming at full intensity. The technique also aids neighboring roosters in protecting themselves from the crowing of other roosters.
In addition, if the hair cells in the inner ear are destroyed, birds may repair them. [Source]
5. Red-lipped batfishes have vivid red lips and move on the ocean bottom with the help of leg-like fins. The pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins of the fish have been adapted to rest comfortably on the seabed. It also seems as if the fish has just consumed blood or is wearing vivid lipstick due to its peculiar lips.
The red-lipped batfish may be found in the water near the Galapagos Islands in Peru at depths of up to 75 meters. They are bottom-dwelling creatures that feed and live on the seabed.
The species looks a lot like the rosy-lipped batfishes seen off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. They are two distinct kinds of batfish with body features that are quite similar.
Small fish, shrimp, crabs, worms, and mollusks are among their favorite foods.
While swimming, the legs may be tucked beneath the torso and the tail used to propel the swimmer ahead. They are, nevertheless, better suited to walk on the ocean’s surface thanks to modified fins.
Their lips have a striking red hue that helps them identify themselves from other batfish species. Colored lips, according to some experts, assist attract mates or identify other members of the same species at reproductive locations.
Aside from pseudo-legs and red lipstick, the fish has an illicium structure on its head. Illicium is said to aid in the enticing of prey. [Source]