Home » DesignFail: Share your favorite

What was Mother Nature thinking?

Submitted by Laura on 08/27/2009 – 6:18 pmAdd comment

Giraffe giving birth illustrationWIRED magazine recently featured a hilarious, short Top 10 list of the worst evolutionary designs, written by David Wolman. And some of these designfails are doozies. Even as a kid, you realized that infant kangaroos have it rough. As Wolman puts it:

Kangaroo teat. In order to nurse, the just-born joey, a frail and squishy jellybean, must clamber up Mom’s torso and into her pouch for a nipple.

You have to wonder what the "intelligent design" plan was on that one, as well as the narwhal tusk (which erupts through the front of the jaw), shark-fetus teeth (the siblings sometimes munch on each other in utero), and slug genitalia (don’t ask).

Our fave evolutionary designfail?

Giraffe birth canal. Mama giraffes stand up while giving birth, so baby’s entry into the world is a 5-foot drop. Wheeee! Crack.

Ouch.

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