The most striking cases of adaptations are those in which a special, in
the sense of an unusual, relation exists between the individual and its
surroundings. For example, the foreleg of the mole is admirably suited
for digging underground. A similar modification is found in an entirely
different group of the animal kingdom, namely, in the mole-cricket, in
which the first legs are also well suited for digging. By their use the
mole-cricket makes a burrow near the surface of the ground, similar to,
but of course much smaller than, that made by the mole. In both of these
cases the adaptation is the more obvious, because, while the leg of the
mole is formed on the same general plan as that of other vertebrates,
and the leg of the mole-cricket has the same fundamental structure as
that of other insects, yet in both cases the details of structure and
the general proportions have been so altered, that the leg is fitted for
entirely different purposes from that to which the legs of other
vertebrates and of other insects are put. The wing of the bat is another
excellent case of a special adaptation. It is a modified fore-limb
having a strong membrane stretched between the fingers, which are
greatly elongated. Here we find a structure, which in other mammals is
used as an organ for supporting the body, and for progression on the
ground, changed into one for flying in the air.
The tails of mammals show a number of different adaptations. The tail is
prehensile in some of the monkeys; and not only can the monkey direct
its tail toward a branch in order to grasp it, but the tail can be
wrapped around the branch and hold on so firmly that the monkey can
swing freely, hanging by its tail alone. The animal has thus a sort of
fifth hand, one as it were in the middle line of the body, which can be
used as a hold-fast, while the fingered hands are put to other uses. In
the squirrels the bushy tail serves as a protection during the winter
for those parts of the body not so thickly covered by hair. The tail of
the horse is used to brush away the flies that settle on the hind parts
of the body. In other mammals, the dog, the cat, and the rat, for
example, the tail is of less obvious use, although the suggestion has
been made that it may serve as a sort of rudder when the animal is
running rapidly. In several other cases, as in the rabbit and in the
higher apes, the tail is very short, and is of no apparent use; and in
man it has completely disappeared.
A peculiar case of adaptation is the so-called basket on the third pair
of legs of the worker honey-bee. A depression of the outer surface of
the tibia is arched over by stiff hairs. The pollen collected from the
stamens of flowers is stowed away in this receptacle by means of the
other pairs of legs. The structure is unique, and is not found in any
other insects except the bees. It is, moreover, present only in the
worker bees, and is absent in the queen and the males.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account