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why are most animals single ended (lemmy.ml)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by [email protected] to c/askbiologists

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This is more of an evolutionary biology question but I thought I'd ask bc I couldn't fibd anything on it

Specifically what I'm wondering is why the majority of animals seem to have their brain or central nervous system located at a specific end of their body rather than near the center of mass where you think it'd be safest? I thought of this as I watched a centipede have its tail end attacked and noticed that its head and tail end look quite similar, assumedly for the purpose of fooling would be predators, and wondered why it didn't just put its brain in the middle so it wouldn't be vulnerable at the ends.

Moreover, why do we even need heads? Why did almost every animal evolve to have all their sensory organs in one spot instead of spreading them out. Why is my face where my face is basically. Are our bodies really built to be the most durable and efficient for the terrain they evolved in and why are they all so similar?

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Most animals are insects, and their 'brains' are actually distributed across their bodies, although with the largest cluster in the head. Sponges, jellyfish and worms also have a decentralised 'brain' - if you can even call it that. Many other animals - octopi and starfish, for example, have a relatively 'central' brain. Vertebraetes do have their brains in their head, possibly because having it close to the main sense organs can allow for faster reactions.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago

I totally forgot I posted this and smoked a little before bed. Absolutely fascinating, I'm glad they exist.