Monotremes

GotchaPhoto: Kurit afshen (Shutterstock)Billions of years of evolution has given rise to us, the millions of species that persist on planet Earth today. Some of us are small, some of us are big, and some of us have huge ears, flat tails, compound eyes, or infrared vision. Each of these adaptations has its merits, but only a handful of them can be considered the most fun, in my (totally scientific) opinion.I consider these the 15 most delightful inventions evolution has bestowed on extant species. Please let me know which…

A white-bellied pangolin rescued in Uganda last year.Photo: Photo by ISAAC KASAMANI/AFP via Getty Images (Getty Images)Mammals have a pretty basic blueprint. Among other things, we give birth to live young, we’re warm-blooded, and, perhaps most obviously, we all have hair. (Yes, even dolphins.) But in the churn of natural selection, some mammals ended up with appendages that look like they should be found on a reptile, bird, or insect. That’s convergent evolution for you: Why should reptiles be the only ones to enjoy the…

A platypus at the Taronga Zoo in Australia.Photo: Mark Metcalfe (Getty Images)Eight-six years ago today, the last known thylacine died in a zoo in Hobart, Tasmania. To commemorate the extinction of the Tasmanian tiger, as it’s commonly known, September 7 is now National Threatened Species Day in Australia, a day to celebrate Australia’s remarkable wildlife and consider how best to conserve it.And there is an abundance of Australian fauna that needs conserving. From the striped numbat and the long-eared bilby to the…