Recently, a strange creature dubbed the “many-legged monster” appeared in a small town, causing widespread confusion and concern. This creature has dozens of legs and looks extremely scary. People have speculated about the cause of the appearance of these multi-legged monsters, some say it is a mutation due to environmental pollution.
With the strong development of industrialization, environmental pollution is becoming more and more serious. Toxic gases in the atmosphere and heavy metals in water have greatly affected organisms. According to research by scientists, some organisms can undergo genetic mutations under the influence of environmental pollution, leading to abnormal changes in body structure. As a new type of creature, the multi-legged monster was probably born for this reason.
Ecosystem imbalance can lead to genetic mutations. Genes in organisms determine their shape and characteristics. When the ecosystem is out of balance, genetic mutations often occur due to the impact of the external environment. For example, the release of certain chemicals can cause genetic changes in organisms, leading to the appearance of strange creatures such as multi-legged monsters.
However, some experts have questioned this explanation. They believe that the appearance of multi-legged monsters is not necessarily a mutation due to environmental pollution but may have other more complex causes. It is possible that genetic mutation is just one factor leading to the appearance of multi-legged monsters, further research and analysis is needed to determine the real cause.
Whatever the cause of the appearance of the multi-legged monster, it also makes people think deeply about protecting the environment. Environmental pollution not only poses a great threat to human health but also causes great damage to the entire ecosystem. If we do not pay attention and change the current situation, it may lead to the appearance of more creatures such as multi-legged monsters, causing more serious damage to the entire earth’s ecological environment.
Ecosystem imbalance can also lead to disruptions in the food chain. In a normal ecosystem, there is a clear food chain relationship between different organisms. Disruption of the food chain will lead to instability of the biological community. If the number of key organisms in some food chains decreases, it will lead to an increase or decrease in the population of other organisms, which in turn can cause the appearance of unusual phenomena such as multi-legged monsters.
What is the truth?
In fact, these are not monsters in the minds of many people, they are a species of bird called Jacanas, a family of wading birds distributed throughout Asia, Africa, South and Central America as well as Australia.
There are only eight known species of Jacanas and one of these is the African Jacana, which can be easily identified because they have extremely long and thin toes, allowing it to walk through the leaves of water plants. and other floating vegetation with ease.
These vertebrates work well not only on the surface of the water, but also under it. They are very good divers and use this skill as excellent protection from predators.
Their long, slender legs combined with large feet and toes up to 7cm (2.75 inches) long allow them to walk on floating vegetation with ease. African Jacanas rarely fly and spend most of their lives above water.
Jacanas engage in a rather unusual mating system called polyandry. That means the female mates with multiple males and entrusts them with the responsibility of taking care of the chicks. While the male is the protector of the chicks, the female protects the territory because she is much larger than the male.
And the image we see of a multi-legged monster is in fact a typical move of this species in protecting its young, which is to tuck them under its wings with its legs sticking out.
African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus), known for its rich brown and white fur. In Australia we have the comb-crested Jacana (Irediparra gallinacea), found in freshwater wetlands in northern and eastern Australia, especially along the coast. Their range runs from the north-east Kimberley in Western Australia to the Cape York Peninsula then along the east coast to the Hunter region of NSW. Meanwhile, species with distinctive red markings on their foreheads are also found in New Guinea and Southeast Asia. Another large type of Jacana is the pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus), distributed throughout tropical India, Southeast Asia and Indonesia.
