Animal Origin Stories: Myth vs. Science

How the Turtle Got Its Shell

If there's one thing that turtle tall tales seem to have in common, it's that we shouldn't underestimate these slow, steady creatures.

In the book "Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines", there's a story about how the first turtle fashioned a shallow water dish -- known as a coolamon to indigenous Australians -- from a tree, and tied the coolamon to his back for protection along with a strip of bark on his stomach.

Scientists writing in the latest issue of Current Biology, however, have a different story to tell.

The shells, the researchers found, are composed of 50 bones held together in a structure that evolved over millions of years, with its origin reaching back to before the dinosaurs. More than 45 fossils belonging to a 260-million-year-old reptile from South Africa known as Eunotosaurus show that the turtles' ancestors developed a shell as their ribs broadened and then fused together.

While there are countless myths and legends from different cultures around the globe about how the turtle and other animals acquired their unique traits, ultimately scientists pouring through the available evidence in the fossil record and the genes of animals living today to learn the real story.

How the Zebra Got Its Stripes

The zebra developed its stripes as a means of evading the bites of voracious, disease-carrying horse flies, according to a study published last year. Pest prevention might not be the only function of the zebra's stripes, which could also help with regulating heat and escaping large predators.

Myths surrounding the zebra's patterned pelage tell a different story. According to African bushman legend, back in the days when the Earth was young, water was scarce. A watering hole could be an important resource worth guarding, as a baboon once did, chasing off other animals who came near and building a fire to get through the nights.

One day, a zebra, which was all white at the time, confronted the baboon, and in the confrontation, got burned by the still-burning sticks from the baboon's fire. After being injured, the zebra ran into the savannah, no longer a single color but striped instead.

How the Baboon Got Its Bottom

The story of how the zebra got its stripes is also the tale of how the baboon got its bright red bottom. The zebra didn't merely lose the fight and run away. Instead, it kicked the baboon as hard as it could, sending the primate flying into the air and crashing to the ground right on its butt. The legend is meant to explain not only the baboon's anatomy but also its tempestuous demeanor.

Baboon behinds, of course, aren't the result of injury but rather evolution, according to scientists. Baboons spend a lot of their time sitting. Given that their buttocks are composed of nerveless callouses, they have evolved to do so comfortably for hours on end.

When a female is fertile, she alerts male baboons of her readiness with her swollen, red behind. The larger the swelling, the younger and more often the female tends to breed, according to a 2001 study. So the baboon's red buttocks is not just a built-in seat, but also a signal to other primates.

How the Leopard Got Its Spots

Certainly the most famous story of how the leopard got its spots comes from Rudyard Kipling. According to the British author and adventurer, the leopard first lived on the sandy High Veldt, where the cat looked much like its environment. Eventually, its prey left the High Veldt, grew stripes, spots and blotches, and headed into the forest where they could hide. Advised by a wise baboon, the leopard was told to "go into other spots" and soon realized how the other animals were evading his detection.

Kipling's story -- racist overtones omitted from this retelling aside -- wasn't too far off from how the leopard in fact did evolve spots.

Habitat and behavior, such as moving through trees or being active at night, can determine a cat coat's color and pattern, according to a study published last year in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Leopards, jaguars and cats with dark-colored coats typically are active day and night, and roam a variety of habitats. Cats with solid-colored coats tend to be active during the daytime and in open environments.

Read more at Discovery News