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March 2, 2006

Did You Know? Darwin Ate Armadillos

Did you know that Darwin made evolutionary breakthroughs while eating armadillos?

You Can't Think On An Empty Stomach
It's interesting how often breakthroughs happen by making observations while doing mundane, everyday things like having breakfast. Charles Darwin did just that while on an expedition in Argentina.

He and his coworkers would often catch and eat armadillos at their camp.

Though Darwin was charmed by the armadillos' behavior, he was equally interested in having a fine meal.

"In the morning we had caught an armadillo, which, although a most excellent dish when roasted in its shell, did not make a very substantial breakfast and dinner for two hungry men."

More At: Darwin | American Museum of Natural History

Beginning To See A Trend Here...
Darwin was struck by the similarities between the tasty little armored mammal and some of the fossils he was digging up and studying. Chuck was especially struck by the armadillos resemblence to the long-extinct glyptodont, a giant slow-moving armored creature about the size of a Mini-Cooper.

This discovery led Darwin to look for other such occurences. Over time, he collected many examples of ancient species with living counterparts. Eventually, he brought all his thoughts and findings together in one of the most pivital works in scientific history - The Origin of the Species.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To show the armadillo that it could be done.

Posted by sorsha at March 2, 2006 9:30 PM