[mlc9852]

"The discovery is a striking example of how different animals can evolve the same kind of body over and over again."

What????

[SlowBoat407]

"The discovery is a striking example of how different animals can evolve the same kind of body over and over again."

What????

The beauty of having something written down is that if you don't catch it the first time, you can go back and read it again.

If you need it explained further, the idea is that external conditions will shape the evolution of a body type - for example, a two-legged velociraptor-type creature - because it is the best type suited for those conditions. After all the other variants have gone by the wayside, the one best suited for a particular set of conditions remains.

[null and void]

Sharks, icthyasaurs and dolphins, for example. Very similar looking critters, one a fish, one a reptile, and one a mammal.

The ecological niche drives the shape.

It's simply the shape of success...

[Virginia-American]

PB: "The discovery is a striking example of how different animals can evolve the same kind of body over and over again."

mlc: What????

There are several classic examples of convergent evolution: Porpoises, fish, ichthyosaurs

Another is the saber tooth "tiger" (Smilodon) and an almost identical marsupial version (Thylacosmilids)