What's Missing?

There are lots of things that animals have that help them survive; these are called adaptations.

Sometimes certain types of adaptations seem to be missing parts! That's OK, since this helps these animals better survive in the unique places they live (habitat). What looks like a problem for certain animals may actually be a good thing. Let's look at the missing parts of some of our Zoo animals:

Fix our blind cave fish!

Blind cave fish live in the complete darkness of caves, therefore they don't need eyes! Having eyes would be a waste of valuable energy. Blind cave fish rely on other senses to find food and survive! (See Featured Creature for more detail.)

Fix the glass lizard!

There are many legless reptiles, but not all of them are snakes. While not having legs can have its challenges, it also allows these animals to get into tight places, or up a tree or even across water for protection or food. This legless Glass lizard is an excellent burrower and can slide under stones.

Fix the spider monkey!

Have you ever noticed spider monkeys don't have thumbs? For people this could be a bit of a problem, but it allows these monkeys to swing through trees quickly.

Fix the tarantula!

Have you ever noticed that insects and spiders don't have ears? They have a whole different way of sensing sound. Some of these animals rely on hairs on their bodies to sense vibrations made by sounds.