Biologists from Princeton University have witnessed something incredible in the Galapagos, a new bird species evolve in just two generations. Their field study allowed them to see something never before recorded, the evolution of a completely new species, in the wild, in real time.

March 21, 2019

The Galapagos is synonymous with Charles Darwin and evolution, as these are the islands where the naturalist was able to figure out his theory of natural selection. The islands are home to 15 species of Darwin’s finches, and it is two of these species that came together to create a whole new species while being observed by Princeton University researchers. While conducting a field study on Daphne Major island the researchers noticed a male of the non-native species known as a large cactus finch. He was observed to reproduce with a female of the native species known as a medium ground finch. Typically, when two different species reproduce the offspring are infertile, but in this case the offspring were able to reproduce and thrive thanks to their ability to access previously unexploited food choices. Genomic sequencing, as well as physical characteristics officially confirmed the new species, further supporting the field reports of the research team.

Source: Science Alert