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Analogy: Jaws versus Flipper
Although their differences are certainly substantial (e.g., sharks are cold-blooded
and dolphins are warm-blooded), sharks and dolphins have some undeniable similarities:
side fins, a dorsal fin, and a torpedo-shaped body. These similarities are analogies
— traits the two lineages evolved independently as adaptations for moving swiftly
in the water. Sharks were gliding through the oceans long before dolphins descended from
land-dwelling mammals. Dolphins evolved flippers, a dorsal fin, and a torpedo-shaped body
as natural selection shaped them for the life of an ocean predator.
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