The new find helps shed light on the evolution of beaked whales as well as their competition: Soon after M. gregarius swam the region's seas, dolphins appeared on the scene, and their success in shallow coastal waters (where they now dominate), may have driven ziphiids to abandon foraging in surface waters. (sciencemag.org)
Adaptationism certainly appears to hold true in microevolution — small - scale evolutionary change within species, such as changes in beak shape in Galapagos finches in response to available food sources. (newscientist.com)
There were also strong similarities with genes identified with beak shape in Darwin's study of finches — one of the best - known examples of how physical traits have adapted to different environments in the wild. (sciencedaily.com)