10 Of The Animals With the Most Unexpected Adaptations
010 Of The Animals With the Most Unexpected Adaptations\n\nIf you're new, Subscribe! → http://goo.gl/djmfuX\n\nFact File is the #1 place for all your heartwarming stories about amazing people that will inspire you every day. Make sure to subscribe and never miss a single video!\n\n#viral #amazing #FactFile #animals
Animals are inevitable companions to man. They do a lot for themselves and us, even the most unexpected things. Their behavior is deliberately geared towards adapting to their harsh realities and surviving against all odds. We think of so many animals as static and incapable of doing much, but these ten animals would amaze you with their bizarre adaptations.
10. Sunda Flying Lemur
The Sunda flying lemur had a similar adaptation to the flying squirrel. It has developed a unique way to move among the trees in its native environment. It uses folds of skin that stretch between its limbs and glides from one branch to the other. From birth to death, they live their entire life in the rainforest canopies scattered around Southeast Asia. Their limbs and feet are well adapted for climbing, but they are useless for ground speed. The easiest way to kill them is to get them on the floor because they would never move fast to save their life.
Their skin membrane, known as patagium, is only a millimeter thick and covers an area almost six times the size of their body when it is fully spread. Did you know that this animal can glide over 320 feet in one jump and pull off this stunt without dropping more than 33 feet during the flight? Now you know. Like the maned wolf, this animal is neither a lemur nor does it fly. It is only a type of animal called a colugo and accounts for more than half of the species around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGn6ojShdXc
9. Gerenuk
Nature lovers genuinely love antelopes, but the Gerenuk is desperately trying to steal the hearts of many with its physical attributes. When it stands among antelopes, it significantly dwarfs them, thanks to its elongated necks like that of a giraffe. No, the Giraffe's own is way longer, but you know what I mean. Also known as the Waller's gazelle, they have enormously elongated necks and thin spindly legs that give them an advantage in the food chain. Rather than graze from the grass on the ground, they stand upright on their hind legs to feed on the leaves from acacia trees, something a regular antelope dares not try.
It doesn't surprise that this animal has evolved so much that it takes advantage of this unique feeding style. There are over 90 species of antelopes in the world, with all of them feeding on a similar diet. Therefore, isn't it wise for the Gerenuk to tow a different path knowing that the competition in the wild is real? Despite having legs that give them an edge over others, they are incredibly fragile. There have been several cases of these animals breaking their leg bones while running across the savannah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyWxfZyLznE
8. Maned Wolf
Whether you call them Chrysocyon brachyurus or maned wolf, you're correct. They belong to the canid family comprising wolves, foxes, and dogs. They have reddish fur and erect ears that you may confuse them for a red fox. However, one feature that makes them stand out is their long and delicate legs. Despite their names, they are far from being regular wolves. They are only lucky to be related to other canid species and have carved out a unique niche for themselves in the animal kingdom.
One of such characteristics that makes them stand out from their counterparts is their distinctive legs, which helps them survive in South America's grasslands. The terrain is laden with an endless sea of tall grass. The only defense in this area is the ability to observe predators from a distance before they reach you. Aside from their legs, their ears are also adapted to the grasslands, thereby allowing the maned wolf to pick up the rustling sound from rodents, which is their staple diet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdi1ISvngrg
7. Irrawaddy Dolphin
We know a lot about dolphins, and there's practically no fact about them that would wow you anymore. However, let's see a different species of animal and the adaptation that makes them stand out from the crowd. The Irrawaddy Dolphin is a species of Dolphin that lives along the coastlines and estuaries of Southeast Asia, especially in the Bay of Bengal. They are related to orca whales and have adapted, not through physical traits but behavioral traits. They have since developed a partnership with local fishers that makes life easier for them and the fisher.
When it is time to hunt, these animals drive lots of fish to the net, and in exchange, they pick out the helpless fish before the net is closed. No other animal in the world has this much-developed interaction with humans, except them, and this is a good one if you ask me.