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Convergent evolution

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  • Eyes: One of the most famous examples of convergent evolution is the camera eye of cephalopods (e.g. squid), vertebrates (e.g. mammals) and cnidaria (e.g. box jellies).[2] Their last common ancestor had a simple photoreceptive spot, but a range of processes led to the progressive refinement of this structure to the advanced camera eye.[3] The similarity of the structures in most respects, despite the complex nature of the organ, illustrates how there may be some biological challenges which have an optimal solution.
  • Nectar-eaters: Four groups of songbirds from different families in different countries specialise in nectar-eating. They are the hummingbirds (Trochilidae; Americas); the sunbirds (Nectariniidae; South Africa); the honeyeaters (Meliphagidae; Australia); and the honey-creepers (Drepanididae; Hawaii).[4]p224 They have similar adaptations because all of them use their tongue to eat nectar from the center of flowers.
  • The shape of large, fast-moving aquatic animals tends towards a torpedo shape: tuna, sharks, dolphins, killer whales, ichthyosaurs all have a similar shape. This streamlined shape reduces drag as they move through the water. Fins of some (ichthyosaurs, sharks) occur in the same places on the body. They have arrived at this shape from very different starting points.





  1. Online Biology Glossary Archived 1 February 2010 at WebCite
  2. Kozmik Z. et al. 2008. Assembly of the cnidarian camera-type eye from vertebrate-like components. PNAS 105 8989–8993. doi:10.1073/pnas.0800388105. ISSN 0027-8424. PMID 18577593. PMC 2449352. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=18577593.
  3. Conway Morris, Simon 2005. Life's solution: inevitable humans in a lonely universe. Cambridge. doi:10.2277/0521827043, ISBN 978-0-521-60325-6, OCLC 156902715
  4. 4.0 4.1 Mayr, Ernst 200. What evolution is. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London.