Station: [9] Mammals

Bats, porcupines, aardvarks or bandicoots – the class of mammals is colourful and diverse, with more than 5,000 species.

Still – the mere fact of being related isn’t everything. Take a look at the display case to see some typical representatives of the class of mammals. Clearly, they share a couple of similar features. But beware! These features evolved independently of each other and cannot be traced back to some common ancestry. Instead, the animals developed comparable strategies in their respective habitats. They adapted to their habitats in a similar way.

Evolutionary theorists speak of "convergent evolution", meaning that traits have developed in parallel, but don’t indicate a close relationship.

One example of this is the way rodents have developed teeth that never stop growing. So do you think the cuddly pet bunny you keep at home is actually a rodent? Not exactly!

Rabbits belong to the order of lagomorphs, which are related to rodents. True rodents would be house mice, marmots or brown rats. Wombats actually belong to the order diprotodontia and are marsupials, like kangaroos. Yet they all have the same feature: powerful incisors that grow continuously. Even a prosimian from the order of primates – the Madagascan aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), has the same kind of front teeth that never stop growing.

In other species, the teeth have regressed over the course of the organism’s evolutionary history, for example in the anteater and the short-beaked echidna. One lives in South and Central America, the other in Australia and Oceania. And both are very fond of ants! That's why both independently came up with the same solution. They don't use their teeth, but their long, sticky tongues to slurp up the ants. Because to them, ants are just yummy.