Adaptation Collection (#6)

Boxer crab with anemones
This boxer crab, Lybia tesselata, attaches small stinging anemones to its claws for defence. Photographed at Depan Galala, Halmahera, Maluku Islands, Indonesia

Reconstruction of Neanderthal Man C016 / 2718
Neanderthal man. Bust of a Neanderthal man (Homo neanderthalensis), created by anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov. This hominid inhabited Europe and parts of western Asia between 230, 000 and 29

Remora remora, remora
Hand coloured etching from The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama islands (1731) Vol. 2 by Mark Catesby

Plaice, European coasts, North Atlantic and North Sea. Fish lies on its left side
PM-10802 Plaice European coasts, North Atlantic and North Sea. Pleuronectes platessa Fish lies on its left side, with left eye migrating to the upper surface during metamorphosis

Pinnacle Rock of Bartholomew Island in the Galapagos, Ecuador, South America

Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Santiago Island, James Island, Port Egas. A Sea Lion nursees her young at Santiago Island

Giant Lobelia (Lobelia deckenii keniensis) detail, Mount Kenya National Park Kenya, Africa

Cave Myotis (Myotis velifer) in flight in captivity, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States of America, North America

Elephant heads (little red elephants) (Pedicularis groenlandica), Cottonwood Pass, Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, Gunnison National Forest, Colorado, United States of America, North America

Raphaels Madonna. Art reproduction of Raphaels Madonna, offered as a premium by BT Babbitt, soap and baking powder company of New York. Date 1898. Raphaels Madonna

F. Ziegfeld, Jr. presents Anna Held in Jeaan Richepins play, Mam selle Napoleon music by Gustave Luders; lyrics & adaptation by Joseph Herbert. Date c1903

Mountain hare moulting
Mountain hare (Lepus timidus) moulting. This species of hare is found across Northern Europe from Scandinavia to Siberia, inhabiting moorland and mountainous areas

Mountain hare (Lepus timidus) moulting. This species of hare is found across Northern Europe from Scandinavia to Siberia, inhabiting moorland and mountainous areas

Great diving beetles foreleg, SEM
Great diving beetles foreleg. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the foreleg of a male great diving beetle (Dytiscus marginalis). At the tip of the leg are two claws

Fruit flies. Artwork of a male (left) and a female (right) fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). The first leg of the male fly has a sex comb (red, expanded at left of upper centre)

Bearded scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis barbatus). Scorpionfish are bottom-dwelling fish which have the ability to change their colouration to suit their substrate

War of the Worlds, artwork
War of the Worlds. Artwork showing alien flying machines invading 21st-century London, England. They are destroying the London Eye (also known as the Millennium Wheel) and Westminster Bridge

Casuarinacone sp. fruit, light micrograph
Casuarinacone sp. fruit. Light micrograph of a transverse section through the fruit of an evergreen she-oak (Casuarina sp.) tree

Blind cave crab (Cerberusa caeca). The loss of sight is an evolutionary response to living in the dark in caves. Photographed in Terikan River Cave, in Gunung Mulu National Park, in Sarawak

Ammophila arenaria leaf, light micrograph
Ammophila arenaria leaf. Polarised light micrograph of a section through a marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) leaf, showing the characteristics that help reduce water loss

1833 Iguanodon mistaken spike horn fossil
From Mantell 1833. Accompanying legend reads: the " Horn of the Iguanodon" (3) and " The Claw or unguical bone of an Iguanodon" (1) with

Cretaceous tree ferns, artwork
Cretaceous tree ferns. Artwork showing several Tempskya tree ferns, depicted in the Lower to Mid-Cretaceous Period. These plants could reach six metres in height and half a metre in diameter

Desert-adapted elephants, adult and calves. These are African elephants (Loxodonta africana) adapted to living in desert areas of Namibia and Angola

Desert-adapted elephant using its trunk to throw dust over itself. Dust baths help to ward off insects. This is an African elephant (Loxodonta africana)

Breastfeeding, 18th-century caricature. Titled The Fashionable Mamma, or The Convenience of Modern Dress, this artwork shows a nursemaid holding a baby to its mothers breast to allow it to feed

Human and ape anatomy. Artwork comparing the anatomy of a human (left) and an ape (right). Both are primates, but as humans

Trac trac chat (Cercomela tractrac). Photographed in the dunes of the Namib Desert, this is an example of the pale form of this bird

Machina ammonita by Paul D. Stewart
Inspired by William Paleys inference of a creator from the mechanisms of nature, and a bad pun from Descartes view of non-human organisms as machina anima

Soft rush stem, light micrograph
Soft rush stem. Fluorescent light micrograph of a cross section through pith from a soft rush (Juncus effusus) stem. The star-shaped aerenchyma tissue (upper frame)

Frau im Mond artwork
Frau im Mond. Artwork of a Moon rocket, representing the story told in the film Woman in the Moon (German: Frau im Mond). This science fiction silent film, released in 1929

Woolly rhinoceros, artwork
Woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), artwork. This extinct rhino lived in the northern steppes of Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch (1. 8 million years ago to 10, 000 years ago)

Beech leaves, light micrograph
Beech leaves. Light micrograph of a transverse section through two beech leaves (Fagus sylvatica). The shapes of the two leaves are different because the bottom leaf is constantly exposed to bright

Gecko scale hairs, SEM
Gecko scale hairs. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of hairs, or setae, on a scale on the skin of a geckos (family Gekkonidae)

Seal fur, SEM
Seal fur. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) for a freeze-fracture of seal skin with fur seen across top. The dense flattened fur of seals traps air and aids insulation in cold water

Barrel cactus (Ferocactus sp.). This cactus is barrel-shaped, but becomes columnar with age and reaches around 4 metres in height

Bee pollination. Bee entering a common foxglove Digitalis pupurea flower. The bee is going deep into the flower for nectar, as it does so it brushes against the anthers and stigma

Desertholly (Atriplex hymenelytra)
Desertholly plant (Atriplex hymenelytra). Photographed in the USA

Bindweed (Convolvulus oleifolius)
Bindweed flower (Convolvulus oleifolius). This species of shrubby bindweed has silvery, tomentose (hairy) foliage to reduce water-loss from its leaves

Pincushion hakea leaf, light micrograph
Pincushion hakea leaf. Polarised light micrograph of a transverse section through the leaf of a pincushion hakea (Hakea laurina) plant. This is a drought plant (xerophyte)

Heather leaf stomata, light micrograph
Heather leaf stomata. Light micrograph of a transverse section through a stomata (centre, circular) in the leaf of a heather (Erica sp.) plant. Heather is a drought plant (xerophyte)

Heather leaf, light micrograph
Heather leaf. Light micrograph of a transverse section through the leaf of a heather (Erica sp.) plant. Heather is a drought plant (xerophyte)

She-oak stem, light micrograph
She-oak stem. Light micrograph of a transverse section through the stem of the Australian she-oak (Casuarina equisetifolia). The she-oak is a drought plant (xerophyte)

Madagascan tree leaves
Madagascan trees leaves (family Didiereaceae). The leaves and thorns of this tree reduce water loss, adapting it to the dry conditions found in the Spiny Forest of southern Madagascar

Coastal vegetation. Shrubby seabite (Suaeda vera, green) and sea purslane (Atriplex portulacoides, grey) in a coastal habitat

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"Adaptation: Embracing Change in a World of Possibilities" In the realm of economics, adaptation is akin to the ingenious contraptions depicted in Heath Robinson's illustrations. Just like Pinus cembra, or the Arolla pine, which adapts to harsh mountainous conditions, we too must find innovative ways to navigate and thrive amidst challenges. As if plucked from H. G. Wells' "The First Men in the Moon, " the US Navy's Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer exemplifies adaptation at its finest - transforming a bomber into an effective anti-submarine aircraft. Nature itself showcases remarkable adaptations with Araucaria columnaris and A. Heterophyllo trees gracefully adapting their forms to suit diverse environments. Similarly, the Green Tree Python effortlessly blends into its surroundings within forests of New Guinea and North East Australia. Just as Henry Irving mesmerized audiences as Mephistopheles in W. G. Wills' Faust, our ability to adapt allows us to take on different roles and conquer new frontiers – much like Beau Geste or Barry portraying Phaedra. A futuristic space scene inspired by Arthur C. Clarke's novel "The City And The Stars" reminds us that adaptation extends beyond earthly boundaries; it propels us towards uncharted territories where innovation reigns supreme. Yet even closer to home lies Lathyrus japonicus, commonly known as sea pea – resiliently adapting along coastal regions despite rising sea levels threatening low-lying lands worldwide. As protection costs soar, we must seek sustainable solutions for these vulnerable areas. Ultimately, adaptation is not merely survival but embracing change with open arms. Like The Breach at Alkborough on the Humber Estuary in Eastern England illustrates - it urges us to confront challenges head-on while seeking cost-effective strategies that safeguard our future. In this ever-evolving world, adaptation becomes our compass guiding us through uncertainty, enabling us to thrive amidst the winds of change.