Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Less Squirrelly Squirels
Do you think that, by systematically running over squirrels that try to out-maneuver automobiles, we are breeding squirrels that can distinguish between autos and predators? If so, then, given the short length of a squirrel generation, shouldn't we have seen significant improvement by now?
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I've thought that we'd've (a double contraction; gaze ye in awe upon it) evolved squirrels that could time traffic by now. You see it every once in a while, a squirrel who will wait for a car to go by, then take off, but it sure doesn't seem to be the norm. Even with single-year generation times, evolution is a slow, slow process.
ReplyDeleteNice double contraction. I do indeed gaze in awe.
ReplyDeleteOoo, I know! Actually, we are only hitting the squirrels who are old and slow. Therefore, they have already bred and selection cannot occur because getting hit by cars does not impact their reproductive fitness.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!