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Marsupial and Placental Moles

Illustration of a marsupial mole from Australia, which bears a striking resemblance to placental moles.
Illustration of a marsupial mole from Australia, which bears a striking resemblance to placental moles. Illustration: Richard Lydekker

Evolution is incredibly diverse, but at the same time super limited. All species must honor basic physics and unassailable biological limits (we’ll never see, for example, an animal with wheels… or at least we don’t think we ever will). At the same time, evolution often drives animals toward common “fitness peaks,” in a phrase used by evolutionary biologists. And sometimes, those fitness peaks just happen to be located at the very same spot.

Museum specimen of a European mole
Museum specimen of a European mole Photo: Didier Descouens

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