3. Many lizard species have evolved the ability to detach their tails as a mecha

Question

3. Many lizard species have evolved the ability to detach their tails as a mechanism of escaping from the grasp of predators. In his Natural History, Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) spins a similar tale about beavers. He reports that beavers castrated themselves in order to escape hunters who pursued them for their testicles, which could be used to produce an analgesic medication (Book 8, Chapter 47). Borrowing from Pliny, the Roman author Claudius Aelianus (ca. 175-235 aD) describes this behavior in detail in his encyclopedic series On the Nature of Animals. When pursued by hunters, he writes, the beaver "puts down its head and with its teeth cuts off its testicles and throws them in their path, as a prudent man who, falling into he hands of robbers, sacrifices all that he is carrying, to save his life, and forfeits his possessions by way of ransom." Of course, beavers do not actually do anything of the sort. Explain why Darwin would have considered it reasonable that lizards should drop their tails, but implausible that beavers should self-castrate even to spare their own lives. 4. Counter the following argument:“Exaptations are common, therefore natural selection is not nearly as important as many biologists have claimed.'"

Explanation / Answer

What Darwin said was 100% true beccause

*on east beaver was hunted for testicles but on east it was hunted for pelt,

*beaver was also hunted for food because its tastes like rabbit.

ALTHOUGH BEAVER CASTRATED HIS TESTICLES THE HUNTER WILL USE THE BEAVER FOR PELT,AND FOR FOOD,ITS SACRIFICE WAS OF NO USE.

2)Although expatation are coomon,natural selection is also important ,we can understand by following illustration-

(exaptation is a special trait co-opted for additional use other than for which natural selection has built it.)

illustration -initially birds have feathers for insulation/heat regulation progressively its exaptation was flying

-basal fish developed lungs for breathing but progressively used for buoyancy.

But when nature gives a problem to fight with enemies(of advanced features),then the expatation will not going to save the life,only with good defence features are going to survive(which was purely a natural selection).

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