Convergent evolution
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Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different lineages. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were no
Red fox skeleton
Skulls of thylacine (left), timber wolf (right)
A mormyrid electric fish of Africa
Vertebrate wings are partly homologous (from forelimbs), but analogous as organs of flight in (1) pterosaurs, (2) bats, (3) birds, evolved separately.
Divergent evolution
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Divergent evolution or divergent selection is the accumulation of differences between closely related populations within a species, sometimes leading to speciation. It can occur when two populations b
Convergent evolution
…structures, but their forelimbs are homologous, sharing an ancestral state despite serving different functions. The opposite of convergent evolution is divergent evolution, where related species evolve different traits. Convergent evolution is similar to parallel evolution, which occurs when two independent species evolve…
Darwin's finches are a clear and famous example of divergent evolution, in which an ancestral species radiates into a number of descendant species with both similar and different traits.
Darwin's finches by Gould