4 ms·

I think that's how evolution works.

• FjolsvithAase 5y ago
  I thought that was "survival of the fittest".
  • ceejayoz 5y ago
    In this case, "fittest" has changed from "big tusks" to "no tusks", because of a change in their natural environment (a new, effective predator targeting tusked animals). Selection pressures change all the time like this.
    • FjolsvithAase 5y ago
      Then how is it evolution? I thought evolution was where the DNA changed to create a new species, and took millions of years. These elephants already had DNA to not grow tusks because of environmental pressure. Its like dogs growing a winter coat when it gets cold. They don't become a new species during the winter.
      • ceejayoz 5y ago
        You're mixing up evolution and speciation. Certain breeds of dogs have evolved warm coats (through both natural and unnatural selection), but they can interbreed with, say, a short-haired chihuahua, which makes them still the same species. Selection is a mechanism for evolution, which can (but doesn't necessarily have to) lead to speciation.