Evolving Animals of the Pyro Age

Animals have been evolving since a long time in order to fit the challenges posed by climatic conditions. Jnyanam Bordoloi is absolutely right when he says species evolve over time, in order to survive and eventually thrive, in some of the most difficult environments created by climate change. When we know which species are leading the race for survival, we can work for the conservation of the ones who are at risk, and the fragile ecosystem they hold

- Jnyanam Bordoloi

Animals have always fascinated me. The way the birds dance, the speed at which the falcons dive on their prey, the ferociousness of tigers while protecting their territory and everything else like this. Sometimes, it makes me curious, thinking about how did animals become what they are now? It appears that the answer to my question is evolution.

Evolution is a process in which organisms change their physical and behavioural characteristics in order to fit in the ecosystem they build, along with other organisms, that live in that specific environment. It is this process of evolution which has created the wide variety of organisms we see today. Darwin, the father of evolution, explained that animals evolve according to their selective habitat. He determined that the process is long involving several generations of a species until it finally evolves into a different species. He explained that each generation of offspring representing their parents’ characteristics developed the necessary adaptation, physically or behaviourally, for overcoming certain challenges they face in their habitat. An offspring who develops such instincts or physical characteristics, surpasses its siblings and cousins in the race of survival, passing its genes to the next generation. Generation wise such characteristics become more distinct, eventually creating a whole new species. This made me wonder if animals are even evolving in response to climate changes the world is experiencing right now.