Helen Scales, a marine biologist and author, once remarked that seahorses are “odd-looking creatures designed by a mischievous god who had spare time on her hands.” She paints the picture of a creature that combines the horse’s head, a kangaroo’s pouch, the swivelling eyes of a chameleon, and the prehensile tail of a tree-dwelling monkey, all swathed in a colour-changing armour, topped with a crown that might belong to a fairy princess.
Scales’ description captures the essence of a creature so fantastical in appearance that it almost seems as though it could be a mythical creation rather than a product of evolution. Indeed, it’s a perfect example of Darwin’s natural selection—a living testament to how the forces of nature can fashion something so extraordinary, it appears more like god’s own vehicle than a fish.
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