Extreme Environments
In the deep sea, where sunlight never reaches, creatures like the anglerfish have evolved bioluminescence—using light-producing bacteria to lure prey in complete darkness. Tardigrades, microscopic animals, can survive extreme heat, radiation, and even the vacuum of space by entering a cryptobiotic state.
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The desert-dwelling fennec fox has oversized ears that dissipate heat and detect insects underground. Camels can survive for weeks without water, thanks to their fat-storing humps and efficient water retention systems.
Reproductive Oddities
Some animals have developed bizarre reproductive strategies. The male seahorse is famous for carrying and birthing offspring. In anglerfish, tiny males fuse permanently with much larger females, becoming little more than sperm-producing appendages.
Parthenogenesis, or virgin birth, occurs in some reptiles and fish, allowing females to reproduce without males. While rare, it demonstrates evolution’s flexibility in ensuring survival.
