Alexandria Stewart

11/18/14
Field Trip Assignment - Museum of Natural History

1. Adaption to an Aquatic Environment

The dugong is a great example of an animal that is adapted to live in an aquatic
environment. It can be found in the Hall of Biodiversity towards the middle of the
room, in a large glass containment with other animals who are near extinction.
Though the dugong is a mammal, they are clearly built to survive in water. They have
flippers for arms, as well as a long tail thats flat at the end, to help propel it through
the water. Dugongs that werent strong enough to support these mutations probably
didnt survive very long, as these traits would be very hard to live with on land,
eventually wiping them out and leaving the ones that live in the water to survive.

2. Adaption to Terrestrial Environment

Monkeys are suited for living in a terrestrial environment, and the specific type of
monkey I chose for this question is the Black Faced Spider Monkey, located in the
Spitzer Hall of Human Origins, along the wall when you walk into the room (to your
left).
This monkey has strong, long limbs and tail to help it move around and climb trees.
Its hands and feet also help it when moving along the ground, as the bottom of their
feet/hands look pretty durable, and Im sure they also help when holding onto
branches. Natural selection probably weeded out the monkeys that could not climb as
well, and therefore couldnt really get their food, thus starving. Not being able to climb
might have also made them more vulnerable to predators, thus leaving the strongest

of this species of monkey to survive.

3. Adaption in a Non-animal
Cacti are a great example of a non-animal who developed traits to help it adapt to its
surroundings and protect itself. This is of course, through the cactus needles, and
though it might be pretty clear that the needles help to protect the plant, they also
have more functions than that, such as making it easier for the cactus to retain water.
The needles are speculated to be mutated leaves of the plant, and because they
serve such great functions to the plant, such as protecting it from predators (small
mammals and birds) that may have otherwise tried to make a meal out of it, and
getting itself more water, which is especially useful in the dry, desert environment in
which cacti live. Cacti that did not develop this mutation might not have been able to
survive very long compared to the mutated ones due to these reasons.

4. Closely Related Species

Tigers and Lions, both displays found in the Akeley Hall of African Mammals (though
the tiger can also be found in the same enclosure as the dugong in the Hall of
Biodiversity), are a pair that can be an example of a very closely related species. Not
only are both of these animals part of the big cat family, which already hints that they
are pretty closely related, they have very similar genetic makeup. Their DNA is so
similar that they are actually able to produce offspring together, making a cub that is
part lion, part tiger.

5. Sexually Selected Trait

The moose I saw possess a trait that is a sexually selected trait (the moose can be
seen in the Jill and Lewis Bernard Family - Hall of North American Mammals). The
large horns on a male moose is likely a product of sexual selection. The antlers can
be used to fight other males over a female moose, and show the female that the
moose with the biggest antlers is more fit, therefore more suitable to mate with and
produce offspring with because that means that the offspring can possess the genes
its fit father moose had. However, that leaves the moose that dont get a chance to
mate because of the inferiority of their antlers wont be able to pass on their genes,

thus only passing on the genes for larger antlers, and in this way, making it a sexually
selected trait.

6. Convergent Evolution
The hammerhead shark, which can be found in the Hall of Biodiversity, and the blue
whale, which can be found in the Irma Paul Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life, are a
pair that seem to be a product of convergent evolution. Both of these animals have
fins and long flippers, including on their tails, that help them swim through the water.
In addition to this, they both are a similar blueish-greyish color, which might help them
camouflage in the water.
These traits are very likely to be the product of convergent evolution rather than a
common ancestor because whales are mammals, and sharks are fish, making them
very distant from each other on the tree of life. Also, the ancestors of the whale did
not have these traits, and the common ancestor of the both of these animals did not
have these specific traits, as their most recent common ancestor was very long ago.
(The whale in the picture is much more blue than this whale actually is, as there was

a blue light shining over the whole room).

7. Divergent Evolution
The mako shark and the great white shark, both found in the Hall of Biodiversity,
could be the product of divergent evolution. Both of these animals have very similar
traits, including their tails and flippers/fins, and because they both belong in the shark
family, it is very likely that they both possess these traits due to a common ancestor
that had these traits and passed it on to the mako shark and the great white shark.
One trait that sticks out to me as having changed between the two since their
common ancestor is their eyes, as the great white sharks eyes seem smaller than
the mako sharks eyes, this change in size possibly allowing the mako shark to let in
more light.

8. Transitional Fossil
Neanderthals, which were found in the Spitzer Hall of Human Origins, are an example
of transitional fossils. Neanderthals are a crucial part in the evolution of modern day

humans, and an imperative transition between chimpanzees and modern day

humans, thus, helping to explain how we evolved from chimpanzees. Of course, in
addition to neanderthals, there are many other steps in this evolution, and
neanderthals are only one of the examples of a transition fossil in this evolution.

9. Extinct Species
The dodo bird, which was located in the Hall of Biodiversity, is an example of an
extinct species. The dodo bird lived before the 1660s, the first record of it being seen
being in 1598. The dodo bird lived mainly on Mauritius Island, which is more of a
tropical type of area. The dodo bird eventually went extinct because of its high
demand as game by humans, who killed them for sport, which was especially easy as
the dodo grew up in isolation away from any real predators, so they werent wary of

humans, making them even more of an easy target.

10.Cultural Evolution
Human beings and the different types of things we do are an excellent example of
cultural evolution, humans being found not only in the Spitzer Hall of Human Origins,
but all over the museum as well, walking around!
One example of cultural evolution is mankinds use of the stick, as we can see below,
both for housing or fire, as well as to use as a weapon to defend ones self, as well as
hunt for food. Humans have adapted sticks to be used in many ways that are
beneficial to us and to help us adapt to our environment in several ways, making it a
good example of cultural evolution.
The need to kill good efficiently, protect yourself, and have a stable foundation for
shelter as well as a good place to put a fire are all processes in which the stick was
discovered to be a good tool, though fire might have been the very first time humans
saw sticks as something they could use, which potentially branched out into thinking

of other ways they could use it.