Many people know that humans get along so well because of our opposable thumbs. Yeah, they’re pretty boss, but many other animals, and insects, have some pretty cool adaptations that keep them alive and kicking in this big blue sphere we call Earth.

In the blue part of this planet, the oceans, there lives a sea slug that need not eat. It accomplishes this amazing feat by taking on the properties of algae that it eats when it is young. It uses the algae to absorb energy from the sun, just like a plant would. When it eats the algae, it steals the chloroplasts, and somehow keeps them alive and working in its own, animal, body. This is an amazing feat that the scientists studying them don’t know how to replicate. If we achieved that power, we could better harness the energy of the sun to help with our daily life.
What other adaptations in animals could benefit man kind?

Mothers have been complaining about their children’s hearing for years, but it’s not so much hearing as it is listening. Some insects, especially the Copiphora gorgonensis, a type of katydid found in South American rainforests, have decided that human, and most other mammals, ears are pretty efficient. The Copiphora gorgonensis has adapted its ear type to that similar to mammals, in that it has a cochlea-like organ that it hears with. Using this type of ear, it can hear sounds up to 190 kHz, which is almost 10 times the frequency humans can hear, and 3times that of a dog. This makes it the most ultrasonic known animal on the planet. They can hear at a variety of frequencies, and can even tell different species apart from their own. Their amazing hearing ability lets them detect bats, one of their chief predators, so they can hide and stay alive. Do any other animals have hearing adaptations like this?

Amazing adaptations are not limited to the animal world, however. A specialized type of fungus likes to play the role of puppet master. The Ophiocordyceps fungus has developed a way to take over the central nervous system of its victims and leads them to a convenient place to die. When tree dwelling carpenter ants happen upon the spores of this “zombie fungus” they eat it like a tasty snack and feel just fine. After a few days they begin to feel a little funny, and have a sudden urge to leave the nest. They venture out to a nice leaf, and when they try to eat it, they take the last bite of their life. The fungus forces the ant to bite on the main vein of a leaf, and then kills the ant. The fungus grows inside of the ant, using its body and the leaf as food. When it matures, it releases its own spores onto the ground below, causing the cycle to repeat. I shudder to imagine the possibilities if humans could do this.

The world is full of amazing adaptations like these. There may be other types of animals that can live on energy from the sun just like the sea slug, or that can live off of different energy forms. While insects may be the first group to develop characteristics of a different species type, they may not be the only ones. While the Ophiocordycep may have learned to play the puppet master first, I would bet that there are other things out in this big blue sphere that can put on just as spectacular a performance. Can you find any? If you do go searching for more amazing adaptations in the animal world, what is the coolest one you find?