Nature has never followed the crowd, and the animal kingdom’s most bizarre adaptations are the proof. But in Nature, weird is never weird for weird’s sake – doing things differently is usually a smart way to solve a problem.
We like to think we do the same. Putting Nature on our board raised a few eyebrows in 2022, but the wildest ideas are often the wisest.
Don’t believe us? Here are six weird and wonderful examples.
Hummingbirds reverse fly
Noted for their impressive hovering skills, hummingbirds can also put themselves in reverse gear. Their unusually flexible shoulder joints allow them to rotate their wings to fly in all directions, including backwards – a skill no other bird can sustain. By moving their wings in a figure-of-eight movement, they can also hover in one spot, making it easier to move from flower to flower and escape predators in a jiffy. They can even fly upside down for short bursts. Show-offs…
Hippos wear sunscreen
OK, they’re not slathering on the factor 50, but hippos do secrete a reddish, oily substance that acts like natural sun protection – and once led people to think they sweated blood. Containing two pigments with rather less catchy names – hipposudoric acid and norhipposudoric acid – the secretion helps absorb harmful UV rays from the harsh African sun. Even cleverer, it has antibacterial properties too, protecting wounds from infection when other hippos get a bit too handy with their hefty tusks.
Male seahorses have babies
In a rather pleasing reversal of gender roles, female seahorses deposit their eggs into the male’s pouch, where he fertilises them and carries them for up to 28 days. Meanwhile, she bobs off to eat and build up energy to produce more eggs. With so few baby seahorses – known as ‘fry’ – surviving to adulthood, it’s Nature’s clever way of maximising their chances.
Orangutans self-medicate
Some animals instinctively know the healing power of plants. In 2024, an Orangutan in Indonesia was spotted treating a nasty wound on its face with the Akar Kuning plant, known by locals to have healing properties. The plucky primate chewed the stems and leaves of the plant, a type of liana vine, and rubbed the juices and shredded leaves on the wound over a number of days. He even covered the wound with leaves, like a makeshift dressing. Who needs a first-aid kit when you've got the rainforest on your doorstep?
Ice fish make their own antifreeze
How do Antarctic ice fish survive sub-zero temperatures without turning into fish fingers? By producing their own antifreeze, of course! Special proteins in the fish’s blood and body fluid bind to tiny ice crystals, stopping them growing and causing potentially fatal damage. It’s a pretty nifty adaptation that allows these extraordinary fish to swim about in waters cold enough to freeze most of their relatives solid. No woolly jumpers required.
Octopuses are chameleons
Octopuses are among nature’s cleverest creatures. And among its many talents is its ability to change colour in the blink of an eye. Special pigment-filled cells called chromatophores expand and contract to transform their appearance in an instant. Handy for blending into their surroundings, confusing predators or communicating with other octopuses. Some can even change the texture of their skin to resemble rocks or coral. Talk about a master of disguise.
Here’s to the oddballs
So there you have it – six unusual ways Nature has worked things out for itself – helping them survive and thrive in all sorts of tricky circumstances.
It’s a lesson to us all that doing things differently isn’t doing them wrong. Sometimes it takes a bit of oddball thinking to come up with something brilliant.
And if Nature’s taught us anything, it’s that there’s always room for a little weirdness.
