AppleTea comments on Stubborn, maybe, but if it ain't broke

Stubborn, maybe, but if it ain't broke (slrpnk.net)

submitted 8 months ago by Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

43 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] AppleTea@lemmy.zip 18 points 8 months ago (3 children)

"Ain't broke" is a lot better of a description than "fittest".

Evolution selects for the first thing that happens to work. It' doesn't have to work particularly well, only well enough to not die from it.

parent

hideshow 3 child comments

[–] Hideakikarate@sh.itjust.works 16 points 8 months ago (1 child)

not to die too early from it.

Passing on genes is successful enough for evolution.

parent

hideshow 1 child comment

[–] morto@piefed.social 10 points 8 months ago

Like male cochineals, who can't feed themselves after reaching adulthood, but are able to reproduce before dying of hunger. Evolution can be really cruel.

parent

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago

It's also a local maxima trap. To shift to chewing, they would have to change both bite behaviour, and teeth structure. The intermediate stage is a lot worse than either style.

Even if chewing was the better option, it's inaccessible from the crocs current method.

parent