Fun fact: One of Hollywood’s most famous creatures borrowed a feature from real wildlife.

The Xenomorph in the horror movie, Alien, features a pharyngeal jaw directly modeled on the hydraulic, snapping jaws of moray eels. You may have heard of biomimicry, the practice of learning from nature’s strategies and designs to solve human challenges. When those same kinds of real-world wildlife adaptations inspire fictional creatures, it’s known as biomimetic design. While it makes for captivating movie monsters, it can also contribute to fear or misunderstanding of the real wildlife behind those traits. In nature, these seemingly outlandish features are adaptations that help wildlife survive. Looking at this photo, can you see where the inspiration came from? 👀