Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Mr. Silverback
For example, any evolutionaist will tell you sharks have been virtually unchanged for about 300 million years

Yes and no. They have been a distinct groups for that long, in fact longer, out to some 400 million years. And most all would have been outwardly recognizable as "sharks" to the average observer. Yet "unchanged" seems a totally inappropriate word to apply to sharks. Within the broad paradigm of "sharkiness" they've proven highly adaptable and variable.

In modern sharks you have everything from the "normal" mid water predators (some of which must remain constantly moving to "breathe"), to lugubrious bottom feeders like the nurse shark, to huge behemoths like the "whale shark" that filter feed on plankton at the surface like baleen whales. There's similar diversity, with the occasional "odd ball," among ancient sharks. (IIRC there are well over 2,000 species of fossil sharks. Compare to well under 1,000 species among all dinosaurs.)

49 posted on 08/01/2006 2:23:41 PM PDT by Stultis (I don't worry about the war turning into "Vietnam" in Iraq; I worry about it doing so in Congress.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies ]


To: Stultis

Yeah, as a certifed PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, I'm familiar with the diversity of sharks. But deciding to be a dolphin pod and growing neon bioluminescent billbords? No way. I laughed my butt off.


233 posted on 08/01/2006 9:30:12 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback (NewsMax gives aid and comfort to the enemy-- http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1642052/posts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson