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Friday, April 18, 2008

Evolution in large animals can also be very fast


Researchers from the Uiversity of Massachusets have found that certain lizards, when placed in a new enviroment, have evolved very quickly in adaptation to their new mostly vegetal food sources. In as little as 36 years, the little Podaris sicula lizard, has evolved all sorts of adaptations, unheard of in its original enviroment, to better behave as vegetarian (source: Science Daily)

The lizards are native of the Adriatic island of Pod Kopiste, where they feast basically on insects, but because of these ecological nonseneses of postmodernity, some eneded up in the nearby but different island of Pod Mrcaru, where they found aboundance of vegetarin food. In these 36 years, they have changed their bite and also their digestive tract, becoming quite specialized into vegetarianism, in a way unknown to this species. Vegetarianism also changed their habits, losing interest in defending their territories.



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