convergent evolution
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s an example of convergent evolution, when completely unrelated species independently evolve comparable traits in response to similar environmental pressures.
From Slate • Jan. 25, 2026
"The convergent evolution of crabs has happened about five times in history, but it's happened within the group of decapods."
From BBC • Oct. 17, 2025
The details of convergent evolution might of course be more complex in the eukaryotes, multicellular organisms like humans or decapods with large genomes, the total genetic material of an organism.
From Salon • Oct. 14, 2024
The analysis revealed that RetroMyelin sequences were more similar within than between species, which suggests that RetroMyelin was acquired multiple times through the process of convergent evolution.
From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2024
There may be some convergent evolution because there may be only one best solution to a certain environmental problem— something like two eyes, for example, for binocular vision at optical frequencies.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.