Saturday, November 01, 2008

Ancient Sea Predators Shed Skin Secrets

Convergent evolution is once again pointed out in the linked article.

"Predatory reptiles called ichthyosaurs cruised the oceans between 230 million and 90 million years ago. In a classic case of convergent evolution, their body and fin shapes resembled those of today's dolphins, tunas, and great white sharks—the fastest swimmers in the sea. A new study shows that the convergence even extended to the molecular composition of the animals' skin."