Evolving

Together
By: Areli Angel

Over time organisms

have evolved to the
different organisms we
see today. However,
other than climate and
habitat, what else has
forced these animals to
evolve into today's
modern species?

Did you know?

Scientist predict that dogs were domesticated around 14,000 years ago?

This is when scientist looked deeply into other

possible factor of an organisms anatomy, per say a
hummingbird. How did it gets its long beak? Why is it
so small in comparison to its other much larger avian
cousins? Well, to answer the first question scientists
looked into its prey, yes, prey. Believe it or not, a tiny
little hummingbird is a predator it eats other
organisms, therefore its is considered one. They then
found that over time the flower's ancestors had a
shorter, wider style (a part of the flower) as well as
the hummingbird's ancestors beak. With this finding
they found that, as time progressed the style of the
flower became longer and thinner, making it more
difficult for the hummingbird's ancestor to attain it's
nectar. In turn, the bird's beak also evolved and it
became thinner and longer to get the nectar from
the flower.

This process is called coevolution. Coevolution is when predator

and prey simultaneously evolve in the same environment to better
their chances of survival. This not only happens with hummingbirds
it happens with every single organism on the planet. Another
example of coevolution is with the rough-skinned newt which
produces enough toxin to kill 100 people, logically one would think
that nothing can possibly eat this animal, but they would be
wrong. Over time the newt produced this toxin that anything else
other than it's natural predator, the common garter snake, would
die eating it. So along with the newt producing this toxin, the
garter snake has become immune to such a powerful toxin and is
able to eat this newt. I conclusion, when the going gets tough, the
tough get going, even in nature.