Studying extinct species is like putting together a big puzzle about the history of life. Here’s how it helps us understand evolution better:
Natural Selection: Extinct species show us real examples of how certain traits changed or even went away over time. For example, the woolly mammoth was built for cold weather, which shows how natural selection works.
Adaptation: Fossils help us see how species changed to fit their surroundings. Take the horse's hoof, for example. Its changes over time tell us a lot about how the environment around it also changed.
Speciation: Looking at family trees of species helps us learn how new species come into being. This is something we can see with Darwin's finches on the Galápagos Islands.
In short, studying extinct species gives us important clues about how evolution has shaped life on Earth!
Studying extinct species is like putting together a big puzzle about the history of life. Here’s how it helps us understand evolution better:
Natural Selection: Extinct species show us real examples of how certain traits changed or even went away over time. For example, the woolly mammoth was built for cold weather, which shows how natural selection works.
Adaptation: Fossils help us see how species changed to fit their surroundings. Take the horse's hoof, for example. Its changes over time tell us a lot about how the environment around it also changed.
Speciation: Looking at family trees of species helps us learn how new species come into being. This is something we can see with Darwin's finches on the Galápagos Islands.
In short, studying extinct species gives us important clues about how evolution has shaped life on Earth!