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Today I went to the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam

Through the study of Mollusca, Arthropoda, Amphibians, Cnidaria, Echinodermata, and Vertebrates I related organisms through homology and convergent evolution. Sadly certain areas of the zoo were closed off due to the corona measures so we were unable to see vestigial organs in whales or the several phyla displayed in the specimen cabinets at the beginning. 


To begin my visit, I walked into a large monumental hall with a vast amount of aquaria. From Flatfish and sharks to Tropical coral reefs (Echinodermata and Cnidaria) we talked about whether their characteristics were due to convergent evolution or not.

I then moved on to a species I found particularly interesting called the Blind Cave Fish. The way it shifts direction before hitting the wall is fascinating. 




Also within the Amazon aquatic ecosystem, I found representatives of the Mollusca and Arthropoda phyla however I will not go into too much detail in terms of these two phyla. 

Instead, I will focus on the Cnidaria phyla as I found the Upside Down Jellyfish and the West African Lungfish on the lower levels of the building captivating. Especially the Lungfish of the Dipnoi order which has convergent evolution like characteristics with lissamphibians and homologous ones with tetrapods. 

Before leaving the building and heading towards the reptile house I saw one more species called the Axolotl, a species interesting due to how it does not metamorphose and take to the land like its Amphibian friends.


Picture derived from Biology a Global Approach



In the reptile house, I discovered a freshwater turtle by the name Chelodina mccordi who had feet much like ducks and geese. Speaking of evolutionary phenomena I also found a lizard without legs going by the name Ophisaurus apodus or Glass Lizard.

Chelodina mccordi
Chelodina mccordi

Chelodina mccordi also called the McCord's snake-necked turtle has a very long neck to the point where it is the same length as the rest of its body (shoots its head forward very quickly to catch even the fastest fish). It is only found around the Indonesian island of Roti and mostly eats small snails and fish.

Note: To dive deeper into the bolded words click on them and go to the following post


Through this excursion, it was clearly understood that the things we learned within the classroom could easily relate to the animal kingdom. This realization helped me understand why certain animals relate to each other due to environmental or ancestral similarities

Phylogenetic tree demonstrating the major animal phyla



Until next time,

Sol

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Location: ARTIS, Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam, Netherlands

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