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I wonder if this evolved while ocean levels were lower, and the physical distances between chunks of land were shorter. And what if there were more islands alon
by nerdponx 4y ago
I wonder if this evolved while ocean levels were lower, and the physical distances between chunks of land were shorter. And what if there were more islands along the way at some point? Also I wonder what % of godwits do actually fail along the way. I suspect that many "elderly" birds aren't able to make the trip.
- WalterBright 4y agoNomadic tribes would just leave behind the elderly who could no longer keep up.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- 7952 4y agoI guess that death along the way is a very strong influence on their evolution. The ones that reproduce are the ones that did make the journey and have adapted to it.
- Infernal 4y agoThe article mentions that survival of the trip is “above 90%”. I assumed that was one direction, but I suppose it could be round trip.
- stubish 4y agoI'm also curious as to when this behavior evolved. Did the distance become longer over time, as the continents moved apart?