The evolution of moles

Copied from an article found by Google:

Moles are strange little guys. With digger-like claws, terrible eyesight, hairless snoots, and an appetite for soil-dwelling insects, these animals are extremely well adapted to life below the Earth’s surface. In fact, this “blueprint” of subterranean mammals has proved so successful that it’s evolved independently numerous times across different continents of the world.

The world domination of moles is yet another example of convergent evolution, the process by which distantly related organisms independently evolve similar traits to adapt to similar necessities. There are plenty of instances of this occurring in nature – like how bats, bugs, and birds have all evolved wings independently from one another – but the humble mole is a particularly striking example.

Technically speaking, true moles only belong to the taxonomic family called Talpidae, which is found across the Northern Hemisphere of North America and Eurasia (although, weirdly, none are found in Ireland).

This includes approximately 42 different species, including the European mole, the small Japanese mole, the semiaquatic Russian desman, and the Snow Mountain shrew mole of China. The many species vary slightly, but they share some obvious characteristics. They are all small, dark-furred animals with cylindrical bodies, outwardly turned claws, a hairless snoot, and poor eyesight (sometimes they're totally blind or don't even have eyes).

Another animal that has evolved these features is the golden mole, which doesn’t belong to the true mole family Talpidae, but comprises its own family known as Chrysochloridae. These animals evolved the mole-like features completely separate from Talpidae in Sub-Saharan Africa. For all intents and purposes, they appear very similar to true moles, except for their light blonde fur, which is better adapted for living in the sandy landscapes of southern Africa.

In yet another example, there are the marsupial moles of Australia. Independent of the families Talpidae and Chrysochloridae, these creatures evolved their mole-like features from a lineage of marsupials, the unusual mammals that carry their young in a pouch like kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, and koalas.

Last but not least, there is also the freakiest of them all: the naked mole rat. Taxonomically speaking, this is not a mole at all, but a rodent that bears many of the key features we see in all of the animals mentioned above that help with underground lifestyles.

Of all subterranean mole-like mammals, they are undoubtedly the oddest. They don’t feel pain, they’re resistant to most forms of cancer, and they can survive in environments with no oxygen for almost 20 minutes. They also clearly exhibit eusociality, the cooperative system of social behavior typically associated with hives of bees and termites. Evolution really went wild with this one.

No exploration of convergent evolution would be complete without diving into the case of how crab-like creatures have evolved at least five different times. This phenomenon has been dubbed carcinization, the inevitability that crustaceans will eventually turn into a crab if you give them enough time (that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s not without an element of truth).

Well, even crustaceans can be allured by mole-like forms. Emerita is a genus of crustaceans also known as the mole crab because of its mole-like adaptions that allow it to thrive in the muddy burrows of the sea’s swash zone. Of course, this animal is nowhere near true moles on the family tree, but it’s not that close to true crabs either.

In other words, Emerita have evolved to simultaneously gain mole-like and crab-like features, making them an extraordinary example of double convergent evolution.

Evolution is a hoax. There is zero evidence for evolution despite the false claim that Johnathan Wells and the Discovery Institute support it at some level.

We understand that you believe everything that does not fit square with The Goat Herders' Guide to the Galaxy is a hoax but we are not obliged to take your belief as being factual.

I’m still waiting for the link(s) that verify your claim that Jonathan Wells and/or the Discovery Institute support evolution at some level.

We are still waiting for something to support the idea that Jesus unconditionally loves us all so much that he will cast into hell for an eternity of screaming anyone who doesn't accept him as his/her lord and master.

I guess we shall all have to settle in for a long wait.

Jesus doesn’t force anyone into Hell. He died to make a way for every person to avoid eternal suffering. People go to Hell because they choose to. If you don’t want to live with Jesus in this life then you don’t get to live with Him in the next. Again, that’s your choice.

Now let’s examine your posts. You claim Jonathan Wells supports evolution at some level which turns out to be false. Then you post a quote that is supposed to be from the Discovery Institute which also seems to be false. You seem to have a habit of posting false information with impunity. It’s hard to take anyone seriously when they constantly post  falsehoods. I suggest you verify your claims or be known from henceforth as an untrustworthy poster.

If you are going to put words in my mouth so that you can deny them, this thread is going to get very tiresome. I shall give it a miss for a while and give you time to climb down off that high horse of yours.

Here is a quote from you:

Even the Young Earth discovery institute concedes that evolution is taking place at the germ and virus levels. wrote:

When I asked you to verify your statement, you replied with this quote:

Statements made by Johnathan Wells. Senior Fellow of that Institute. wrote:

Then you posted this quote claiming it was from the Discovery Institute's web site:

I never attempted to put words into anyone's mouth but simply relaying words from the institute's own web page: "House sparrows have adapted to the climate of North America, mosquitoes have evolved in response to global warming, and insects have evolved resistance to our pesticides. These are all examples of microevolution — evolution on a small scale." wrote:

I'm not putting words in your mouth. I'm asking you to verify your claims, which you are unable to do. You are proving to be untrustworthy.

Hahaha…I don’t blame you for taking a hiatus. I would too if I were in your shoes…Hahaha