That’s not how evolution works. Today’s horseshoe crabs may look very similar to their ancestors hundreds of millions of years ago, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t evolve. I know it’s just a meme and not that serious, but misconceptions about evolution seem to be very common and I think that’s a shame.
Byeeeeeee
Submitted 3 weeks ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/c7416131-4bb3-429c-8d9c-b9835b6d282d.jpeg
Comments
sylveon@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 weeks ago
alcibiades@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Apologies for ignorance, but what changed about them? Is it that they’ve been evolving over millions of years, which is why they can survive in today’s world (even though they look the same).
Revan343@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Basically that; I’d imagine their immune systems are more complex nowadays just because the threats are
Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Similar to how humans and apes have a common ancestor, the horseshoe crabs would have an ancestor which looked very similar to today’s version, although slightly different, and some of them would have evolved into other things while some remained relatively unchanged.
Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 1 week ago
their genome would look different if nothing else, different genes causing the same features.
i’d imagine there are all kinds of tiny tiny differences, like the shell changing shape and behaviours altering over time so they don’t get horribly confused as the earth changes shape.
Sludgeyy@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Every animal in the comic should be a horseshoe crab.
Zink@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
We need to see a subtle shift where one more character evolves into a crab between each panel of the comic.
CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social 3 weeks ago
I see a trilobite and an ammonite in there, did those guys even leave any evolved descendants before they went extinct?
Pringles@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
Yes, but those also went extinct.
neons@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
Except Nautili still exist today
Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 1 week ago
nautilussies
Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 2 weeks ago
Nautilus having second thoughts …
Scott_of_the_Arctic@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Cool thanks, we’ll be back for your blood!
ICastFist@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
The horseshoe crab denied evolution, so we’ve begun to forcefully take their blood sacrifice instead
halfeatenpotato@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
This reminded me to sit up straight.
AnIntenseMoist@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Considering horses (and thus horseshoes) came way after the horseshoe crab, we really should rename the horseshoe to “crab shoe” or something and “horseshoe crab” to something else. Ideas welcome.
panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
I’m in favour of renaming horses to crab feet.
casmael@mander.xyz 3 weeks ago
Yeah I was gna say something like this - the crab is on the other foot, if you get my drift
Zerush@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
Agree, they are not Horse shoes, nor crabs
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
angry hissing crab? nah that’s all of them. alexa how do you say pointy butt crab in esperanto?