In the process of evolutionary development of living organisms, a large number of the most unusual and bizarre forms of the body appeared. Note that the structural features of animals have not formed on their own, they perform certain functions and are subject to some reason. We suggest finding out which animals are round and why they have a spherical body shape.
Hedgehogs
An ordinary hedgehog is familiar to many, since it is found practically throughout the territory of Western Europe, the middle zone, and the southern part of Siberia. This representative of insectivores prefers to settle in forest edges and bright glades. It has a spherical body shape, does not have a clear division into the trunk, neck and head, while there is a small tail.
If the hedgehog curls into a ball, it will acquire an almost perfectly flat round shape. Let's get acquainted with some interesting facts:
- The total number of needles on the body of the hedgehog is more than 10 thousand.
- Between themselves, these round animals communicate by whistling.
- They can swim, although they are very afraid of water.
Despite its small size, a hedgehog is able to cover a distance of more than 2 km per day.
Sea urchin
Another round animal lives in the water element and is called the sea urchin. This amazing creature belongs to the type of echinoderms, it prefers to live at a depth of no more than 5 meters and in bodies of water with normal salinity. The color of animals can be very different, sometimes sea urchins, like chameleons, adjust to the color of the environment, soil. For them, both the shape of the body and the features of its structure are necessary for protection.
The whole body of the creature is covered with a strong carapace that protects from predators and damage, and also an additional “shield” are long “thorns”, needles, the average length of which is about 2-3 cm, however, on the seabed you can also see hedgehogs with long needles, up to 30 cm , often poisonous.
Hedgehog fish
The next round animal that I would like to talk about is a hedgehog fish, a resident of coral reefs. The unusual nature of this creation of nature is that when a danger arises, the fish seems to inflate - it takes an even spherical shape. Moreover, the entire surface of her body is covered with sharp spikes, the injection of which is painful for humans.
The average body length of such a fish is about 30 cm, while a length indicator of 90 cm is considered a record. For food, these reef inhabitants prefer to eat sea worms, mollusks and corals.
An interesting fact is that slow-moving fish makes a predatory impression on predators of simple prey, however, if an underwater resident fell into the mouth of, for example, a small shark, it swelled, turning into a ball, and poisonous spikes hit the predator, causing its death.
Jellyfish
The next round animal is a jellyfish, similar to an umbrella, the "dome" of which is spherical in shape. Translated from Greek, the name "jellyfish" means "sea nettle", which is associated with the burning ability of the tentacles of the aquatic inhabitant.
Among the most dangerous representatives is the sea wasp, the length of the “legs” of which reaches 3 meters, and their touch within a couple of minutes can kill an adult.
Species of round animals do not differ in variety, for the most part these are marine inhabitants, to whom a similar shape allows to ensure the safety of the entire surface of the body.
However, funny situations are possible, for example, any animal, well-fed cats, raccoons, rabbits, can sit so compactly that they look like an even ball. Therefore, any pet can become a round animal.