Organism
Bats
TL;DR
Flying mammals that independently evolved echolocation convergent with toothed whales, despite being separated by over 100 million years of evolution.
Flying mammals that independently evolved echolocation convergent with toothed whales, despite being separated by over 100 million years of evolution. Genomic studies reveal convergence at the amino acid sequence level in hearing-related genes like Prestin. Bats and dolphins both accumulated similar amino acid substitutions because the physics of high-frequency hearing constrain protein function.
Notable Traits of Bats
- Echolocation
- Powered flight
- Convergent hearing genes with dolphins