by Sriraksha Bhagavan – At some point of time in our lives we all would have realised that things in life doesn’t always happen the way we wish for, Life is all about ups and downs. Life is all about moving away from comfort zones. Life is all about adjusting and adapting to new environments we encounter every now and then. Sometimes to overcome the stressful events we face, we seek support from our family, we hang out with our friends or worst case, we consult a doctor or a spiritual adviser. The most common and general advice we all would have heard is: ADJUST AND MOVE ON! THE WORLD IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING SO CHANGE YOURSELF AND MOVE ON!
And this reminds me of one of Darwin’s quotes in his book On the Origin of Species (1859) –
‘it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.’
All forms of life on this Earth have learnt to adapt to their constantly changing environment without relying on a friend or a doctor. This has enabled the species to evolve and continue through their progeny. Those that could not adapt have become extinct. Among all the kingdoms, Arthropods have mastered the skill of adaptation, enabling them to be the largest known phylum on this planet. They have adapted to fill a variety of ecological niches – from a tiny internal parasite to a giant lizard-eating predator. They have a unique segmented body design to perform different body functions. Their exoskeleton is made of an extraordinary substance specific to insects called chitin, which provides armor-like protection and prevents water loss. Having a rigid body covering also hinders flexibility, and to overcome that problem they have joints enabling them to move swiftly.
This incredible adaptation has also made insects masters of mimicry and camaflouge, which perhaps makes it no accident that they are the most diverse and abundant group on this planet. They have survived through several mass extinctions and no human has been successful to in his efforts to eradicate them.
Look around, appreciate the beauty of all life forms and realize that no life form has ever blamed us for what they are going through, but rather each species has evolved to adapt and survive along with us 🙂
Pill millipede’s defensive response to an attack by me!
A stick insect mimicking a twig on coffee plant
A bark spider camouflaged as lichen on a tree bark
A caterpillar camouflaged as a moss on tree bark
Ant mimicking spider – myrmecomorphy
An odd looking caterpillar mimicking tree bark
Bagworm moth larvae hiding inside a piled up frame of twigs
A huge hairy caterpillar wanting to be unpalatable
A millipede coiling in response to touch
