10 Of The Most Interesting Examples Of Convergent Evolution

[@Kyle_Spivis]

Oh boy have I been waiting for this episode, convergent evolution has to be my favorite topic in biology. Kiwis and rats, crabs and crabs, crabs and other crabs, oh and those crabs and that one crab.

[@ZombieChicken1310]

Another very interesting aspect about the adaptation on echolocation is that cetaceans, bats and shrews are not related aside from being all mammals, but you missed the fact that Oilbirds ( *Steatornis* genus) exist. They are omnivores, live in caves and come out at night to feed, and as said they use echolocation to navigate in the darkness of the rainforest night. Which is amazing is that echolocation is not an ability exclussive to mammals, as birds can also develop it.

[@jackslater5886]

The hardest thing to get your head around is that despite the outer similarities, on the inside they're completely different creatures. Like you see a tasmanian tiger and think it's very dog-like but on the inside it's more like a kangaroo or a koala meanwhile dogs are more closely related to us than they are to them.

[@benohb]

This means Darwinism based on paleontology is just quackery

[@Firety11]

Flying squirrels and sugar gliders! Completely unrelated yet the resemblance is uncanny.

[@TsukiCove]

yes i almost included this in the video and it's a great suggestion :)

[@aDaewooLanos]

Colugos have the same adaptation of a skin hang glider as well.

[@helixsol7171]

Draco lizards, too, but they don't look nearly as alike

[@benohb]

This means Darwinian paleontology is relegated to the dustbin

[@JesseNenninger]

My favorite example of convergent evolution is the Great Auk, and the Penguin.

[@1mrcow143]

I would like to see a part 2 with other groups such as reptiles, fish, birds, etc.

[@josephsantos4808]

Yess!! I was waiting for the Emerald Tree Boa and Green Tree Python

[@drjekelmrhyde]

Tegus and monitor lizards.

[@Afrologist]

Legless Lizards & Snakes are a big one.

[@tjarkschweizer]

Birds are reptiles.

[@pulvereis]

I was waiting for him to compare the river dolphin snout to that of a gharial crocodile.

[@Redneckkratos]

7:59 fun fact; wolves convergently evolved to look and behave like the fierce Arnie

[@TsukiCove]

they are unable to truly replicate his beauty

[@kevinquinonez838]

Some other examples I could think of are Deer and Antelope, dogs and hyenas, new world vultures and Old World vultures, coyotes and jackals, raccoons, African civets, and raccoon dogs, worm lizards, Caecilians, and worms

[@CoolGobyFish]

coytes and jackals are closely related. raccoon dogs and racoons dont really look alike other than their colors.

[@kiowaize]

Hyenas are closer to cats

[@animalkidsken]

Antelopes related to cows and goats

[@dtxspeaks268]

Jackals and coyotes ARE NOT convergent evolution. They are both Canis

[@duncanandrews2557]

Aw yay! You made a convergent evolution video! I like to think I’m partially responsible for suggesting the idea for a video. ❤

[@vincentdelaney1474]

Brilliant - short and to the point. I appreciate the amount of research and preparation, making it so acceptable.

[@peterstangl8295]

my favorite example is sharks, ichthyosaurs and dolphins. Separated not by distance, but hundreds of millions of years.

[@peterstangl8295]

and there's tons more great paleo-examples, but i'm guessing you'd prefer to keep this series extant only.

[@dj_nyx8903]

​@@peterstangl8295Would you know anymore? Sounds very interesting since I love dinosaurs and biology. Wait, I got one Bats and pterosaurs or raptors and coyotes?

[@randomusername3873]

​@@dj_nyx8903crocodiles and pythosaurs, turtles and placodonts

[@peterstangl8295]

@@dj_nyx8903 off the top of my head i can think of 3 or 4 from the mesozoic alone, but i'm not great with species names.

[@tjarkschweizer]

​@@dj_nyx8903 Dromaeosaurs are not similar to coyotes or any dogs really. They have more in common with small cats.

[@ibtiago18]

A surprising example of convergent evolution is the Ostrish and the Rhea. The Rhea is the Ostrish's closest relative but their similarities come from filling the same niche on similar enviorments. Their commun ancestor was most likely a flying bird that looked like modern Tinamus. Also, the Emu looks like it could be more closely related to them, than to the Casuary, despite both being members of the same familly.

[@Afrologist]

Almost all Ratites independently developed flightlessness & large sizes, for reasons unknown to science.

[@Kehk-in-a-MiG]

Radical ratites!

[@Marco_______]

You should do a part 2 with prehistoric examples. Some of my favourites are: Doedicurus/meiolania/ankylosaurs for their armoured bodies and tail clubs Thylacine/wolf anatomy especially their skulls which are almost indistinguishable. Therizinosaurs/giant ground sloths/calicotheres and modern pandas. All herbivores which have interesting arm anatomy that they use to forage leaves with.

[@Afrologist]

Knucklewalking would be fascinating to examine. Megatheres, Great Apes, Chalicotheres, & Giant Anteaters all developed it independently

[@Schmeisserinho]

if we're talking prehistory: Ichtiosaurs being basically lizard dolphins is a must and the classic crocodile body plan evolving like... at least 3 times that I know of?

[@1TakoyakiStore]

My favorite example of convergent evolution is the body plan of bony fish and the sea slug genus Phylliroe. Usually when convergent evolution happens the distant ancestors of 2 animals sort of primes both to evolve a similar attribute independently. But not so with Phylliroe and fish. They're about as unrelated as you can get without being from different kingdoms.

[@mateusfonseca1524]

Had never heard of Phylliroe before. This is incredible. Thank you. Now I'm wondering if there are any other examples of convergent evolution this wild.

[@dunringill1747]

Great video topic. Yes, more Convergent Evolution Examples, please.

[@botiwasboughtbythischannel4623]

Spiders and silkworms using silk for different purposes has fascinated me.

[@SoulDelSol]

First video from you, I'm subbing and will keep watching. Things i like about video: * cohesive general theme with subsections and then examples within subsections * in depth information about specific examples * no filler words or filler parts of video. * quality of video clips and photo layouts to support presentation * voice over is a human who is pleasant to listen to You've added so much more to this topic than any other video ive seen. More please!

[@samrizzardi2213]

Monitor lizards and tegus are a good example I think.

[@GenericDan]

Not necessarily. They both share a common ancestor, meaning that their traits weren't evolved independently. Therefore it's not convergent evolution.

[@drjekelmrhyde]

Yes that's one of the common examples.

[@robyndawson8858]

I am curious about the rectangular iris of a goat and an octopus. I don’t know if there are other animals with this shape iris but I find it fascinating such different creatures would share this shape iris. Your thoughts, please.

[@JesmondBeeBee]

Red pandas and giant pandas, which are not closely related, have both developed a "false thumb", that is a modified wrist bone, to do the same thing, hold onto bamboo. The adaptation and behaviour are so similar that when the black and white fail bear was discovered by science it was assumed to be closely related to the animal we now call the red panda, but which had just been a panda, when discovered decades earlier. So they called it a giant panda. But now it's classified as a bear.

[@horgosmark9886]

2:33 what about tenrecs?🤔🦔🐘

[@SomeguynamedTrav]

Hawk Moths and Hummingbirds. Marsupial mole. Thylacine and wolves/jackals. Woodpecker and Aye-Aye. Flying Squirrel and Sugar Glider. Mouse and Dunnart. Snakes and Ophisaurus.

[@moosehunter2477]

Antelope is a word that covers several groups of ungulates that vary in size from the very small Royal Antelope of the West African forest which only weighs 3 kilograms to the Giant Eland of West and Central Africa with bulls reaching 1200 kilograms (over 2000 pounds). I guess the pronghorn and the gazelles convergently evolved similar features though (And gazelles are part of the Antilopinae subfamily within the Bovidae family)

[@moosehunter2477]

@@zebedeemadness2672 Considering the only true antelope to be the Indian Blackbuck seems unnecessarily restrictive, at the very least the Antilopinae (which the blackbuck is a part of) would be restrictive as I get (Apparently Blackbuck and Indian Antelope are acceptable common names for that species)

[@tjarkschweizer]

​@@zebedeemadness2672 What you are describing there is not a rule. We just got lucky when we named those animal groups. Other times we didn't get lucky.

[@MrKaiju-sr8wu]

Mantis' and mantis flies are one of the biggest examples I've seen of convergent evolution. Despite being entirely different families of insects, both have evolved the same claws and similar body shape, as well as a similar hunting style. Heck, theres a fair number of insects with similar shapes and hunting stratergies to Mantis'

[@DeadCanDerp]

I was blown away when I learned that falcons are not closely related to hawks and eagles. Falcons are more closely related to pigeons and parrots 🤯

[@DeadCanDerp]

You know where a mansplainer gets his water? From a well, actually 🤣

[@IamNoOne-001]

The craziest example of convergent evolution for is the Mole-like mammals!!! There are so many different animals completely unrelated that evolved into Moles!!!

[@triconcert]

Loved it! Beautiful dog at the end! Thanks for great information.

[@yodorob]

When I first saw koalas, I thought the video was going to compare them with sloths. Both live in the trees, eat their leaves exclusively, move slowly, and sleep for the vast majority of the time.

[@globalhawk5328]

How about weasels and mongoose?

[@duncanandrews2557]

Hey how about something like “Animals with the shortest and the longest gestation periods

[@scooter6054]

Tegus and monitors

[@MatthewMiranda-l2t]

I wonder if Skunks and Tasmanian Devils count as Convergent Evolution ?

[@petch5926]

Their coloration could definitely be seen as convergent evolution

[@SlenderTroll]

Aside from color I would argue the different lineages of animals called “badgers” are more reminiscent of Tasmanian devils

[@mcj44]

@@SlenderTroll it’s called mustelids

[@lockjaw7437]

@@mcj44I don’t know what that word means

[@mcj44]

@@lockjaw7437 it’s the weasel family. Badgers, otters, minks, martens, wolverines, ferrets, etc. And google exists btw. You don’t have to ask in a comment section

[@Xbox-with_extrasteps]

3:02 fun fact : anteaters , armadillos and sloths are actually more closely related to than the other animals you showcased

[@mitchellskene8176]

If you do a part two, which I hope will be the case, how about legless/nearly legless lizards?

[@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434]

And eel like form for aquatic counterpart. There are a lot of fish that have "eel" name and do resemble eel, yet many of them not even related to true eel. Adding more confusion certain aquatic salamander have eel like appearance but legged

[@dimetrodon2250]

@@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434 To go even further, what we consider worms come from entirely different phyla, yet that bodyplan keeps coming up. The nematodes, annelids, flatworms, ribbon-worms, velvet worms, acorn worms, and even some chordates like hagfish, caecilians, thread snakes, an plenty others adapted this tube-like body shape, despite coming from all over the animal family tree.

[@tosgem]

Lions and tigers look so similar except for the colouring. Another great example

[@Dasple]

That's not a examples of convergence evolution because both tiger and lion are in the same genus they're really closey related to each other

[@tosgem]

@@Dasple you just had to correct me and mansplain, didn't you?

[@Dasple]

@@tosgem yes I do

[@missingno6216]

@@tosgemLOL

[@thomaslikescars]

​@@tosgemhow is it mansplaining when anyone could have told you that you're wrong regardless of dick or not? Why does it have to be some sexist thing? To try and attract from the validity of their statement? Or maybe to make it seem like it's just a bigot trying to show somebody up? Seems like grade a typical hypocritical bigotry to me.

[@artemesiagentileschini7348]

Legless lizards! I know most you have listed here are mammals but legless lizards are so common that it merots its own mention

[@elmsigreen]

I love looking at the tapir and the elephant. At a quick glance, they might look like they are related but they are literally as far apart as placental mammals can be. Tapirs are more closely related to horses, dogs, cats, bats, whales and even humans, than they are to elephants.

[@donaldlawrance2982]

Horses and elephants are ungulates, although odd & even toed. What you said was not accurate

[@elmsigreen]

@donaldlawrance2982 Horses are ungulates, but elephants are not. They are afrotheria, more closely related to hyraxes, tenrecs, and manatees. What I said is accurate. Please google thinks before trying to correct someone incorrectly.

[@ShinySalazzle]

I heard of fish with supposed "human teeth" which is probably an example. Probably untrue, but still.

[@TsukiCove]

Yeah that's the pacu, they eat fruits and nuts so it's a very useful adaptation for them :)

[@alexallen9640]

Nice topic, I would like to see a part 2 for convergent evolution 🙂👍

[@ZocomRaider9677]

Convergent evolution is always interesting to see. Seeing things like all the different animals that evolved the same characteristics like all the animals that have evolved wings so they can fly or glide, animals besides fish that have evolved flippers or webbed feet to allow better swimming. Animals that have evolved bright colors to warn predators they are toxic, plus animals that have evolved to make use of chemical warfare. Would definitely love to see a part 2 of this, some interesting examples like dogs/hyenas, skunks/honey badgers, or some of the marsupials that fit the same niche as rodents.

[@sarantissporidis391]

Wolves and thylacines are a good example for a second video on the topic.

[@abaseball5460]

Do you think that the pronghorn could survive in european grasslands??

[@masonjones3726]

I remember that raccoon dogs and raccoons aren't closely related

[@alterdron]

Wings is also a good example. Fingers of humans and racoons.

[@michaeldufresne9428]

My favorite example is the Madagascar fossa and felines

[@groovepad2378]

Just clicking on this video I knew that pengilans and tamuado anteaters would be on this list, in fact I'm writing this comment before watching the video.

[@cmpork7145]

Pig vs Peccary would be interesting to talk about. They look so similar yet they aren't related.

[@adamgallyot9063]

They share a common ancestor that looked similar, not convergent

[@vincentbiever7387]

My favorite example is Hummingbirds and hummingbird moths

[@thomaslikescars]

Mine is probably the Horse and Horseradish and Seahorse. Truly one of the diverges of all time

[@johntodd3910]

Wildebeest fill in roll of cattle cause they’re related to cattle and Another example tree kangaroo has a niche of monkeys since there aren’t any primates in New Guinea same with lemurs in Madagascar

[@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434]

Lemur maybe not really monkey, but it still primate thus related with monkeys. While tree kangaroo being a marsupial doesn't have any relationship with monkey. Even primate have more closer relationship with mouse and whale than say to kangaroo

[@yzettasmith4194]

Yes to a part 2!

[@jewlztreasch6617]

Tegu and Monitor

[@neilchace1858]

Theres a big difference between saying animals aren't close relatives and saying something is convergence. Convergent evolution requires looking at the likely evolutionary history of particular traits, and in the case of the foxes you mentioned the parsimonious explanation does not point to convergent evolution, at least for certain similar traits like body size. Likewise with pronghorn and antelopes, some of the traits may be convergence, but a lot of it is likely the result of a trait that evolved but was later lost in some lineages (like giraffes).

[@adamgallyot9063]

Yep this is true, in the fox situation, it's most likely that it was an ancestral form, later transformed in the wolf subtribe but remained unchanged to the South American fox subtribe and the true fox tribe

[@sharadbhutoria]

Brilliant work😊 keep it up and keep em coming.

[@EWOODJ]

What Pokemon did in gen 9

[@lizblock9593]

In the pig-like category, you could also include the new world peccary

[@adamgallyot9063]

I think those two branched off from a similar looking ancestor, therefore similar looking forms

[@SssSss-b6j]

Hyenas and Canines Falcons and Eagles Shark and Dolphins

[@incineroar9933]

Iirc there was a dog x pampous fox hybrid that died recently in south america.

[@Kehk-in-a-MiG]

Another example are mice and deermice. Deermice _(Peromyscus)_ are basically tailed hamsters that inhabit North America, but since they resemble mice _(Mus),_ so they are referred to as such; in fact if you see one dart by, the first thing you will probably think is "it's a mouse!"

[@SoulDelSol]

Mouse/mice - english Maus - german Mys - old english Mus/musiz - Proto german Mis - bosnian Moyz - yiddish Myz - czech Mis - croatian Muis - dutch Mysz - polish Misko - slovenian Mus - latin Musa - nepali Mus - norwegian Muk - armenian

[@SoulDelSol]

They (except latin, old english, and proto germanic) may think something more of the sort if they are in north America. (I looked those up one at a time)

[@Kehk-in-a-MiG]

​@@SoulDelSol Wir müssen die mäuse ausrotten! jk

[@anniehill9909]

Fascinating. That was so interesting!

[@mateo3993]

I think one example could be tigers and thylacines both evolving with stripes to hide from their prey

[@Preston241]

The convergent evolution between koalas and humans was interesting. Are there any more examples of convergent evolution related to humans?

[@Salazzarslaan]

Perhaps comparing Canines and Felids would be interesting. Mongoose vs Weasels, Hyenas vs Dogs, Civets vs Raccoons.

[@lukaslambs5780]

Really cool video idea! I think the most mind blowing examples of convergent evolution are carcinization and “trees”.

[@76rjackson]

Great video. One suggestion: please filter out the sibilance of the S'es. It would improve the audio tremendously.

[@Fishinginbangkok]

bowfin and snakehead. both evolved separately from different families to fill the same role in there respective environments. they can even both breath air if water oxygen levels are low, they can both walk along the ground if needed as long as they are wet and they both protect there young for a considerable time after hatching.

[@suchasin]

peccari/wild boar, python\anaconda , ,hyena/canine

[@Dr.-Dank]

Hell yeah make a part 2!

[@maasramli27]

Thank you . Soooooo interesting. Part 2 pl

[@pandaa3876]

gar and pike, rats and opposums, razor bill and penguins, coopers hawk and prairi falcon, (this one just for looks and habitat) purple frog and some soft shelled turtle, morays and sea snakes because as diver you dont want to encounter them and they are colorfull both, Common dwarf mongoose and the polecat just not the colors, like you said you just scratched the surface I give up because it will think hourse to collect all info

[@amx1820]

Enjoyed! More parts please

[@swedishmom]

Thank you for interesting video! Give Arnie a candy from me 😂

[@TsukiCove]

I'll give him a carrot :) he loves them more than life itself

[@swedishmom]

@@TsukiCove my dog too! 😂

[@duncanandrews2557]

Tsuki, I’ve been thinking about which invasive species naturally spread on their own, not by mankind. I know that some large birds have recently migrated to foreign lands

[@TsukiCove]

This is a really interesting topic and I've been thinking about it for a long time, i think it's mostly just birds but i will have a deeper look at some point.

[@duncanandrews2557]

@@TsukiCove Right on! Can’t wait for another Q&A video!

[@mogim815]

@@TsukiCove When north and south america connected a lot of biodiversity was lost in south america due to invasive, north american species outcompeting them, so that might be a good place to look for examples

[@4bidden1]

Climate change will change more and more migratory patterns

[@DragonFae16]

I'd like to see a video like this, but comparing extinct animals to living ones. For instance, wolves and thylacines, and dolphins and Ichthyosaurs. Convergent evolution can often give us an idea of what lifestyle and niche an extinct animal had. Or, conversely, a video about extinct animals with body parts of theorized lifestyles that have never shown up since they went extinct.

[@doctorzingo]

Good idea. And of course, there is footage of thylacines (my favourite example of convergent evolution, it both looked and behaved like a dog).

[@Stuka87g1]

Both of these creatures are extinct but how about Ground Sloths and Chalicotherium?

[@snootsy31]

Therizonosaurs also shared the same niche

[@tamu7243]

Gharials could be in the group with the river dolphins, also evolving a enlongated snout for the same purpose.

[@SteveIgnat]

Part two! Yeah, do a part two!

[@arkprice79]

Hi Tsuki, i bet the pronghorn would thrive very comfortably in the grasslands of Africa and would fill the similar ecological niche to the Antelopes already found there What do you think?

[@TsukiCove]

I think they would have a chance but they would be dealing with a lot more predators. They are very speedy though so i think you could be right

[@arkprice79]

@@TsukiCove I bet cheetahs would be their main predator there

[@GenericDan]

​@@arkprice79Don't forget painted wolves.

[@arkprice79]

@@GenericDan If the wolf can't run down these guys, then it's highly unlikely painted dogs could either

[@josesalinasmorales5332]

​@@TsukiCoveHyenas, canines, weasels, mongooses, cats, foosas, wombats, aye-ayes, rodents, canines and thylanices, and cats and false sabre-toothed cats.

[@fritzkraut5833]

Nice video. I think another good example of convergent evolution might be Smilodon and Thylacosmilus (though, I am uncertain as to whether I am correct about them being unrelated to each other).

[@adamgallyot9063]

Yep they are unrelated to each other, smilodon is a placental mammal, thylacosmilus is a sparassodont, close relative of marsupials

[@tmrevenge]

Do part 2 dude very good content

[@Liberatorx13]

How is Arnie?

[@TsukiCove]

he's great thanks :) He is currently soaking wet from a walk

[@restionSerpentine]

Icthyosaurs, and dolphins

[@emanon0008]

I love this channel ❤❤❤

[@legitusername-zl7to]

0:33 both of them are cute and kinda chill

[@nilanjanachatterjee9023]

Excellent video 😊

[@skeletonorigami2308]

my favourite example of this are how kiwi evolved to fill a very similar ecological niche to small nocturnal mammals!!! solid bones, nostrils at the ends of their beaks, tiny feathers that are similar to fur, and my favourite- the super long feathers on their face which function similarly to whiskers!!! that's so so fascinating to me I can't wait to study them in uni this year!

[@2l84me8]

Convergent evolution is basically like 2 students coming up with the exact same answers for a test when they don’t sit near or talk to each other.

[@quint3ssent1a]

One of the funniest examples of convergent evolution is the paws of the mole and burrowing cricket. Both have shovel-like paws to help them burrow through the ground, but one is an insect, and the other is a mammal.

[@Circe-nx5zs]

Proboscis on butterflies and trunks on elephants is an interesting example. Elephants are members of order Proboscidea which refers to an elephant’s proboscis.

[@pef1960]

What about the convergent counterbalanced bipedal locomotion of pangolins and bipedal, non-avian dinosaurs?

[@jagathwal7710]

A marsupial vs placental comparison would cool!

[@Acornhat]

Maybe you could go animals that look not related that are related

[@danielfox3003]

Crips and bloods are a great example of convergent evolution… just don’t tell them that unless you want some serious smoke.

[@JohnMitchellCalif]

that was amazing! I'd *love* to know what internal/structural things have been convergently evolved. Alas I can't imagine that's been discovered yet.

[@royhay5741]

Moles and marsupial moles.

[@sensam6155]

My personal favourites are: Sharks, Ichthyosaurs, and Dolphins - because it's fish, reptiles, and mammals, all coming up with the same design.

[@Szihiaci]

Please include Hummingbirds and macroglossum stellatarum

[@drewbydoo8945]

In part 2, you gotta do convergent evolution of wings (bird wings, bat wings, pterasaur wings, insect wings). To me, that is THE prime example of convergent evolution.

[@TravisWillden-b2m]

Nice video

[@chetisanhart3457]

There are a few animals that appear to be flying squirrels but are not.

[@NoisqueVoaProduction]

I always thought koalas and sloths were interestingly similar convergent strategy of reducing its own metabolism