I would question whether 'change in behaviour' equals proof of evolution in action. Almost tempted to call lies on it since it is 'Discovery Channel' news.

>> ^Fade:

I would question whether 'change in behaviour' equals proof of evolution in action. Almost tempted to call lies on it since it is 'Discovery Channel' news.


I was suspicious too, at first, and almost changed the title. I watched it again, and concluded: The twitchers adapted and have longer legs where they have been around fireants for a long time. Non-twitchers are in areas where these ants are more recent. The point is: If you watch an area which has these ants, over time you will observe more and more twitchers.

At least this is how I deduced it. The narration is not very clear on it.
Please listen to it again and tell me if you can come to the same conclusion.

Fade, behavior is a trait passed on from parent to offspring in most lizards. With humans we teach our young how to do things. However mot lizards have no interaction with their young, so any behavior changes are passed on genetically, just like any physical trait. Behavior evolves in exactly the same way a physical trait does, but often faster. It's easy to see the natural selection here. The two escape mechanisms will work differently for different predators. I'm sure the twitching lizards fair less well against the more traditional predators, but more will survive ant attacks than will be predated by the traditional predators.

Not fake, just a clear demonstration of natural selection in progress.

Like all good scientific research it's publish for peer review. According to the video the research appears in the Jan 2009 edition of the journal Ecology. You can look it up for yourself to see what the original research shows.