I am doing a science report on evolution and I need help finding an animal whose evolution is evident. Please help!
2007-06-14 05:29:59 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Every animal that ever existed. If you want a really good example that will knock your teacher's socks off, talk about the evolution of whales. It's one of the most clearly outlined and evidenced evolutionary pathway in the fossil record. The sites below are quite good. Just make sure that you are careful when you do your research. There are a lot of people out there with agendas to advance.
Edit: the BBC site is excellent, as is the first one below, but the wikipedia site offers a good overview. I wouldn't use that as a primary source though, as from time to time people go on there and, either intentionally or not, get stuff wrong.
2007-06-14 05:44:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
All of them have evolved! Nothing was put here as is.
But to answer your second request: The peppered moth in England has demonstrated a shift in it's phenotype. The moths were originally light gray with black speckles, which allowed them to blend in perfectly to the tree trunks. Along comes the industrial revolution and lots of burning of coal and air pollution. The trunks of the trees turned darker from all the soot in the air, and all the light gray moths were now very visible and eaten by birds. Turns out there was some natural variation among the population of peppered moths, a dark gray group. In this sooty environment, they were now better camouflaged than their light gray siblings. They survived to reproduce and the population's color became much darker. When pollution controls were begun, the bark on the trees became lighter and once again, the color of the peppered moth population shifted back to a lighter gray. This all happened in a 200 year time span.
2007-06-14 05:53:10 · answer #2 · answered by Ellie S 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You could choose Darwin's finches, they're a good example of evident evolution and are famous for having inspired Charles Darwin and his theory on the origin of species by means of natural selection.
From wiki:
"Darwin's finches (also known as the Galápagos Finches) are 13 or 14 different but closely related species of finches Charles Darwin collected on the Galápagos Islands during the voyage of the Beagle. Thirteen reside on the Galápagos Islands and one on Cocos Island.
The birds are all about the same size (10–20 cm). The most important differences between species are in the size and shape of their beaks, and the beaks are highly adapted to different food sources. The birds are all brownish or black. Their behaviour differs, and they have different song melodies."
2007-06-14 11:55:39 · answer #3 · answered by Sofia 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My suggestion--pick an animal you like or are interested in, then research it. Start with Wiki/Google, and let that lead you to more scientific research. If you're doing the assignment about something you're interested in, it makes it more enjoyable for you and your final report will show that you learned more from it. And since all animals have evolved, and there are millions of animals to choose from, it shouldn't take too much time to find one that you're interested in. I would personally choose something I'm familiar with. Good luck.
2007-06-14 06:54:57 · answer #4 · answered by the_way_of_the_turtle 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
How about polar bears!
YUP. They're recently evolved from the brown bear, and the fossil evidence is clear. Just go to Google and search for:
polar bear evolution
You'll find all you need.
2007-06-14 05:45:37 · answer #5 · answered by JSGeare 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The first animal that jumps to mind is Man, we evolved from more primitive, primate forms to where we are now, we began to walk upright, developed bigger brains and began to communicate and develop tools, this process continues even today, our minds continue to expand, our physical abilities continue to develop and we, as a species continue to grow and evolve.
2007-06-14 05:55:59 · answer #6 · answered by challdion71368@ameritech.net 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The correct answer is ALL OF THEM.
Humans are evident. Dogs. Cats. Pigs. Birds. Pick any animal, even insects!
2007-06-14 05:33:37 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
All of them, LOL. You could talk about humans and horses, about Hawaiian fruit flies, about island snails on Bali Hai, about iguanas on Galapagos.
My favorite, though, is the mini-dachshund. It has wolf ancestors (the intermediates are other breeds of dog), but the mini-dachshund itself is clearly not a wolf. A couple of mutations (short legs, small size), and dozens of generations of selection (selective breeding is still selection!) separate the mini-dachshund from its lupine ancestors.
2007-06-14 07:14:54 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Go with the polar bear. That is such a good example: fairly recent and pretty obvious with the color change and no longer interbreeding with the brown bear.
2007-06-14 06:49:17 · answer #9 · answered by Joan H 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
the walking fish....a very unique animal..it is a fish that can go on land for short time and actually walks on its fins
2007-06-14 05:37:32 · answer #10 · answered by becca9892003 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋