Natural Selection and Evolution (Step 3)
Alaskan moose have evolved and survived a very long while. They have certain adaptations that help them survive, and therefore have adapted to their environment and have survived, making them have the ability to produce more offspring. This is natural selection. They have adapted to have huge antlers, hooved feet, long legs, fur with warming features, a special gut and molars, large body mass, a strong sense of hearing and smell, the fact that they instinctively tilt their head back while running through dense brush, and travel for a while and then walk in a circle. An example of directional selection is the antlers that they grow. Antlers are a symbol of healthy male moose, and are used to attract mates. They get shed in the winter, and begin growing back after winter. Moose with smaller antlers are less likely to get mates and are considered weak. This means that natural selection favours one extreme over the other, and that is called directional selection.
In the Arda biome, the Alaskan moose reside in Orocarnia. But they have adapted further from the normal
Alces alces gigas. As previously stated, larger antlers are an example of healthy bulls (male moose) and directional selection. Two new subspecies of Alces alces gigas were formed over the years.
In the Arda biome, the Alaskan moose reside in Orocarnia. But they have adapted further from the normal
Alces alces gigas. As previously stated, larger antlers are an example of healthy bulls (male moose) and directional selection. Two new subspecies of Alces alces gigas were formed over the years.
SummaryThere were many Alces alces gigas 10 million years ago. They were the regular Alaskan moose with the average Alaskan moose proportions and adaptations and all lived in peace and harmony. But, around 5 and a half million years ago, there was an increase in the wolf population on Orocarnia. This decreased the Alces alces gigas population significantly, but they still survived. Two million years after that, two new subspecies of Alces alces gigas were formed. One of them was the Alces alces antlus and the other was Alces alces smallus. This was caused by the Alaskan moose evolving and mating with other species of moose, thus producing these two new species. The Alces alces antlus has extremely large antlers, large body mass, hooves with extra 'toes', thicker fur, and sharper teeth. The second, Alces alces smallus, is kind of the complete opposite. It has small antlers, small body mass, maintains the two 'toed' hoof, thin fur, and still has dull teeth.
The Alces alces smallus thrived for around 1.5 million years. Eventually, though, it became extinct, as they could not scare off predators or attract mates very well with their small antlers. Many of the moose in the Alces alces smallus subspecies died without ever mating, and that is why they eventually became completely extinct. Also, since they live in a very cold environment, they often froze to death due to their thinner fur. They maintained the same status quo as the Alces alces gigas in some manner though, due to the fact that they had the same teeth and hoof type. They were also favoured because with their small antlers and size, they were spotted less by predators, but were easily taken down due to their small body mass. The Alces alces antlus thrived for much longer due to their adaptations. They were favoured by natural selection because they have large antlers to attract mates and scare away predators, sharper teeth so the type of food they eat could be possibly expanded, and thicker fur helped them in the cold, harsh weather. The extra 'toes' on the hooves did not really do anything to their advantage. Due to their large antlers and body mass, predators spot them very easily, but are often deterred by their scary, dangerous antlers. This subspecies of moose has lived very long and in the present because of this. |