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Convergent Evolution

Convergent evolution is the emergence of biological structures or species that exhibit similar function and appearance but that evolved through widely divergent evolutionary pathways. The similarities that are shared in the case of convergent evolution are not the result of evolution from a common ancestor sharing those similarities. Instead, the similarities are typically explained as the result of common adaptive solutions to similar environmental pressures.

Examples of convergent evolution include the evolution of functionally similar but distinct antifreeze proteins in divergent species of fish, one group found near Antarctica and the other group found in the Arctic. More obvious examples include the multiple origins of wings (bats, birds) and eyes.

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