What is convergent development?

Convergent evolution is a common theme of animal development. It occurs when two unrelated species independently develop similar features to deal with specific evolutionary challenges, such as life in ice cold water or eat ants. Sometimes convergent evolution is so powerful that the creature that has begun, as otherwise other animals begin to look almost the same as the skull of the extinct binding tylacin and the live gray wolf. The wings of pterosaurs, bats and birds have many similarities in the structure, although they are only very remotely connected. The convergent evolution occurred between the giant Armadillo in North America, the giant ants of South America, the huge pangoline in Africa and the barbed anthill (Echidna) in Oceania. All these animals have a similar body shape, including a long proboscis, because of their adaptations to consuming ants, even although their last common predecessor is over 155 million years old and nothing like them looks.

Another classic example of convergeable evolution is the spine, which are located between a series of small mammal groups, including dipores (placental mammals), Echidna (Monotremés) and Tenrecs (unique Madagascar animals that are remote placentals). The re -occurrence of the spine suggests both their wide evolutionary usefulness and the fact that the spine can gradually evolve from different mammalisms. The situation is similar to the fifth found on plants such as cacti and many others. These spines have evolved through convergence many separate times and in separate places.

Some of the most prominent cases of convergent development relate to similarities between marsupials and placental mammals. For example, Marsupial Mole is a lot like a placental mole, Marsupial Mulgara is like a placental mouse, a Marsupial Tasmanian devil resembles a placental badger. A similarly extinct Marsupial lion had a bitHoring claws such as modern felids. The similarity between Thylacin and the Gray Wolf has already been mentioned.

One of the most constructive and most popular convergent goals in the entire evolutionary history was the crocodile form of the body. Some of the Labyrintodont amphibians to be among the first land animals and lived between 350 and 210 million years, had the basic shape of the crocodile body, although they were amphibians rather than reptiles. The first archosaurs resembling crocodiles developed about 250 million years ago. Phytosaurs, who resemble crocodiles more than any of the other groups mentioned here, flourished in the late Triassic (220 - 200 million years ago). Champiosaurs, another similar -looking Archosaur group, have evolved in the late Triassical or early Jurassic period, for about 200 million years. Crocodylomorphs, a large group of crocodiles of similar animals that include modern crocodilians, exist from 230 million years. Modern crocodile only developed in late chalk,About 85 million years ago.

There are countless other examples of convergent development. Meet enough animals and always convergent patterns.