Animal Building

After reading this analysis based on animal building, I found myself getting extra excited about our upcoming assignment. I find it fascinating that all animals, including humans, have a certain instinct inside that supports their survival skills. In particular the beaver’s dam is an interesting structure that is primarily discussed. The animals’ creation does make you question whether or not it is purely beaver instinct or if they actually plan out each dam, stepping back to look at their creation from a design point. As explained in the article, Lewis Morgan observed European beavers living in burrows dug into river banks. Their North-American cousins who build dams, in Morgan’s opinion, are purposely created to promote happiness and are not necessary made for survival. I personally feel that evolution has contributed mainly to this occurrence. If you think about it, beavers spend their life time fixing their dam every time it is damaged; making it bigger and better each time around, it’s like trial and error. Over the years beavers learn to perfect the “art” of dam making. Bees were also observed and talked about in the reading. I found it shocking and intriguing that people actually studied the bee hive for architectural purposes and discovered that it has a precise mathematical framework. How and why does nature do what it does? In my opinion I feel that just like humans, animals too adjust to their habitats in order to make their existence more efficient.