Natural Selection in the Galapagos Islands

Click here to view an animation that shows natural selection occurring on a small island called Daphne Major in the Galapagos. 

Why were the large-beaked finches able to survive the drought that occurred on Daphne Major in 1977? Why did the average beak size return to normal after the drought in 1977?

Click here to view a second animation about a fictional organism called the pollenpeeper. Witness how the pollenpeeper evolves as you observe natural selection and adaptive radiation in action.

Natural Selection Animation

Click here to complete an animation about natural selection. You will play the role of a GOONEY BIRD. GOONEY BIRDS eat UNIQUE bugs and always capture the first bug they see. There are 3 rounds of hunting. You have to capture a specific number of bugs in each round. Remember to capture the FIRST bug you see! At the end of the 3 rounds, you will see the colors of the surviving and captured bugs.


What traits allowed the offspring to survive? What colors were most commonly represented by the surviving bugs? What colors were most commonly represented by the captured bugs? What explains this difference in color?