Survival of the Fittest But wait a minute. Are we saying that life started as a simple soupy mixture of chemicals and then on its own grew to form hippopotamuses, elephants, and all other forms of life? Who decided what animals would look like? Who decided that ears would be on the sides of an animal's head, eyes in front, and a nose in the very middle? Didn't someone or something have to direct this process? |
In a manner of speaking, yes. Biologists believe that the something that directed evolution is what is known as Natural Selection. This law says that the strongest lifeforms live, while those that are weaker die, and is often referred to as survival of the fittest. In other words, if there are 100 hippopotamuses in a herd, only the strongest will live to reproduce, or to create offspring. |
But how does Natural Selection determine what an animal will look like?
Think about it. Who do you look like? Your mother? Your father? Your uncle Lenny? You look like your ancestors, the people who created you. If only the strongest hippopotamuses survive to create baby hippopotamuses, then the babies are going to resemble the strong hippos. If these hippos have ears on the sides of their heads, then so will the babies.
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