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Asked by blatantlyninja to Martin, Rob, Suzanne on 22 Mar 2012.
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Suzanne McEndoo answered on 22 Mar 2012:
Are mammals symmetrical? I think most mammals will have asymmetry, like heart on one side, liver on another (in fact, there’s a medical condition that is when a person has all their organs on the opposite side to normal).
If you’re talking more general symmetry, like two eyes, nose in the centre, two arms, etc, (i.e. if you put a mirror in the middle it would still look like the same creature), I can’t come up with any good counter examples. I think some creatures, like owls, have asymmetrical ear positions so they can tell direction better, if that counts? I’m afraid you probably need a zoologist for this question! 🙁
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Robert Thompson answered on 22 Mar 2012:
Hmmm I don’t know why we are symmetrical to look at … there will be a good evolutionary reason but I can’t think of it.
Comments
blatantlyninja commented on :
I was refering to general symmetry =] thanks
Suzanne commented on :
I wonder if it’s just easier to have symmetrical creatures. Like, if you weren’t your DNA would need extra data for the left and right, so it would be less favourable to build something like that than just to reflect some of your blue prints.