Species are evolving everyday all around us to have better chance at

survival to either kill and eat, or not get killed and eaten. The process of
predator and prey simultaneously evolving in the same environment to
better their chances of survival is called,
coevolution. This relationship of
predator and prey in the same
environment is key for each other's
survival because the predator is part of
the prey's habitat and dies if it is not able
to attain prey, so over time it evolves
what ever is necessary to facilitate the
acquisition of prey wether it be; agility,
camouage, speed, night vision,
sensitive hearing, smelling, etc. The same rules apply to the prey, it's
predator is part of the prey's habitat and its too evolves characteristics to
avoid being eaten.
Most of the time when the term 'predator and prey' is used we normally
think of animals that eat other animals, however this is not always the
case. According to an article on www.NECSI.edu the term "...'predator
and prey' also includes other relationships not necessarily with
carnivorous animals, it also deals with the relationship with berries and
bears, grasshopper and grass." With that said, those organism have also
evolved with their predator to better their opportunities to reproduce and
multiply. A great example of coevolution
is with the humming bird and owers.
Just as there are di"erent types of
owers there are di"erent types of
hummingbirds. "About 3 million years
ago the hummingbird's beak wasn't
always as small or as thin as its is now,
making it harder for it to attain the nectar
from owers (Shlomiya Bar-Yam)."
However, over time mutations have
happened with the bird making its body size smaller along with its beak,
simplifying it's goal to attain food and later reproduce. The ower too
Figure 2
Figure 1
underwent genetic mutations which labored
the hummingbirds beak to suck the nectar
from deep within the owers anatomy. This
happened, and continues to happen, over time
until what we see today with the modern
hummingbirds and owers. Like the one on
gure 2, you will notice its beak is specically
shaped to that ower's shape and form.
Referring back to an earlier statement on the
coevolution process there is yet another example of this relationships
between predator and prey, like the cheetah and
gazelle. These two animals have many things in
common, but one characteristic that stands out the
most is their speed. We know that cheetahs are the
fastest land animals on earth reaching speeds of up
to 75 miles per hour, and the gazelle coming in
close with 45/65 miles per hour, depending on the
type of gazelle. Logically, the only thing faster than
the prey is it's predator, in this case the cheetah.
This characteristic is demonstrated in both species'
anatomical gure. The cheetah's long, exible spine
(gure 3) helps it stretch its legs when sprinting,
along with it's long heavy tail, helping it balance itself for when making
sharp turns. In turn the gazelle's large lungs and lithe thin feet helps
keeping up it's stamina, and making sharp turns in a fraction of a second.
These are all characteristics that have been passed on by ancestors who
were all able to survive by outrunning each other over time. In conclusion,
coevolution has been an important factor with the evolution of every living
organism on the planet over time, and continues to be so.









Figure 3
Figure 4