rafiqofthemany said:
RvLeshrac said:
rafiqofthemany said:
Decabo said:
rafiqofthemany said:
Decabo said:
rafiqofthemany said:
actually giraffes have long necks to combat other males the leaves on trees is just a plus
You have it backwards, giraffes evolved to reach the tops of the trees. Using it to find a mate is just a bonus. This is what Richard Dawkins said on the Colbert Report.
yeah well explain that to my evolution professor, while giraffes sometimes eat leaves from the top of the trees they mainly eat plants closer to the ground including during the dry season when leaves are harder to come by, on the other hand males who win in combat are more likely to mate and the male with the longer neck is more likely to win
I don't know what's funnier, the fact that you got offended that I referenced someone extremely knowledgeable on the subject to disprove you, or the fact that you're suggesting giraffes can only eat from one food source. If it'll help unbunch your panties, let's just say it came from multiple sources.
i didn't say that they only eat from one source they do eat high leaves but not as often as lower ones, and just cause one scientist says something doesn't make it right, most modern scientist hold the neck as a weapon viewpoint
Actually, the majority of modern scientists hold the view which Dawkins expressed: multiple pressures resulted in the evolution of the giraffe's neck.
Further, the fact that they are able to eat the leaves at the tops of trees doesn't imply that they prefer eating from the tops of the trees, just that they CAN. In times of a food shortage, this is an obvious advantage, but when food is plentiful, they may prefer the taste of the shrubbery lower to the ground.
well yes of course there are multiple pressures at work and the food reach is a plus its just that the main force was mate competition or sexual selection as darwin called if your going to invoke old C D. Its just that when looking at the evolutionary orgin of an adaptation one must make sure to look for the correct answer. while a trait may seem like it developed for a particular reason it is simply a coincidental advantage, the real proven force is mate competition in this situation
The only individuals who tout the theory of sexual selection as the primary reason for the evolution of the giraffe's neck are either creationists or glory-hounds (Simmons et al). All of the research on the subject for the last 100 years has led to this conclusion.
You cannot simply overturn a century of good science with a few biased studies which are based on variable populations (Simmons).
Additionally, the ability to reach new source of nourishment is always a primary evolutionary 'goal.' Since the giraffe's neck is responsible for one of its primary evolutionary advantages, it *cannot* be a primarily sexually-selected trait, as sexually-selected traits are, by definition, of limited use in survival.
