Because beetles OP
Specific niche gang get lost
My theory is that it's the possible terrestrial-equivalent to carcination ( the convergent-evolution of "crabs" evolving 6 separate times, in the sea, from different origins ).
I've no idea if cladistics will back that,
and don't really care,
but it seems that convergent-evolution would operate both in the air and in the water, so .. possible .. why not, eh?
Yep, success is success, in any medium. convergent evolution can be found wherever we find life, from vents to the upper atmosphere. Terrestrial biology has had four and a half billion years to try everything, and try it in 50 different ages. Where characteristics impart a benefit to passing on genes, it'll probably find success.
I wonder after all those billions of years if we've had all the options tried, or if we're just getting going. Probably depends on having a viable ecosystem tho. :|
There are over 90,000 kinds of weevils.
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Biodiversity is a term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth. It can be used more specifically to refer to all of the species in one region or ecosystem. Biodiversity refers to every living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only around 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects. This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery.
Over generations, all of the species that are currently alive today have evolved unique traits that make them distinct from other species. These differences are what scientists use to tell one species from another. Organisms that have evolved to be so different from one another that they can no longer reproduce with each other are considered different species. All organisms that can reproduce with each other fall into one species. Read more...
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