What happened to the evolution of the giraffes neck?
Table of Contents
- 1 What happened to the evolution of the giraffes neck?
- 2 What factors might have contributed to the evolution of the long-necked giraffes?
- 3 Why did giraffes with long necks have an advantage?
- 4 How is the evolution of animal like the long-necked giraffe explained by Charles Darwin?
- 5 What giraffes evolved from?
What happened to the evolution of the giraffes neck?
Giraffes Didn’t Evolve Long Necks Simply to Reach Tree Leaves, New Study Shows. Lamarck’s idea suggested they stretched their necks and passed the stretching down through generations. A modern genetic version of the idea suggests natural selection for better height and reach was at play.
What factors might have contributed to the evolution of the long-necked giraffes?
The accepted theory on giraffe evolution is that the giraffes with the longest necks passed on their genes through natural selection, and that it took millions of years to get the animal we see now. The two forces that drove giraffes towards elongating their necks are simple. The need to eat and the need to breed.
Why did giraffes with long necks have an advantage?
Since these shorter creatures pick over food at a lower level, giraffes’ necks allow them to reach food and nutrients that others cannot. This becomes especially important for survival in habitats where food can become scarce and droughts are fairly common.
What did the giraffe evolve from?
Some scientists have long presumed today’s giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis, right), which includes a handful of subspecies scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, evolved from an animal that looked like its close cousin the okapi (Okapia johnstoni, left), which lives in the tropical forests of central Africa.
How long did it take for giraffes to evolve long necks?
about 7.5 million years ago
The short-necks proliferated alongside their lankier relatives, which is why we still have both short- and long-necked giraffes today. Truly long-necked giraffes didn’t evolve until about 7.5 million years ago.
How is the evolution of animal like the long-necked giraffe explained by Charles Darwin?
A Darwinian theory of evolution posits that it was through random variation that some giraffes had longer necks than others. Because they could access food, the giraffes with longer necks were better able to survive and reproduce, with their offspring inheriting their long necks.