> If you were hoping for a mechanistic explanation, that's all the article offers. Because evolution is a very big “just so story” that’s the best you’ll ever

> If you were hoping for a mechanistic explanation, that's all the article offers. Because evolution is a very big “just so story” that’s the best you’ll ever get from an evolutionary analysis. I think it came off as an arch conversation to make an interesting but not profound point. Which is entirely appropriate. The interesting corollaries are why there are such a similar niches in different environments, and why monitor lizards might have experienced such similar convergence.