The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.
Konrad LorenzRead
Whenever we find, in two forms of life that are unrelated to each other, a similarity of form or of behaviour patterns which relates to more than a few minor details, we assume it to be caused by parallel adaptation to the same life-preserving function.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights how similar traits in unrelated species may arise due to adaptation to similar environmental challenges.
Konrad Lorenz emphasizes that when we observe similarities in the shapes or behaviors of organisms that are not closely related, it suggests that these similarities are not merely coincidental but are instead adaptations to similar ecological pressures. This principle reflects the concept of convergent evolution, where different species develop similar traits to survive and thrive in comparable environments.
Themes
AdaptationEvolutionSimilarityNatureOrganisms
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a biology lecture to illustrate the concept of convergent evolution.
More from Konrad Lorenz
All quotes →I grew up in the large house and the larger garden of my parents in Altenberg. They were supremely tolerant of my inordinate love for animals.
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More than any other product of human scientific culture scientific knowledge is the collective property of all mankind.
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In nature we find not only that which is expedient, but also everything which is not so inexpedient as to endanger the existence of the species.
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Most people have forgotten how to live with living creatures, with living systems and that, in turn, is the reason why man, whenever he comes into contact with nature, threatens to kill the natural system in which and from which he live.
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I owe undying gratitude to my patient parents.
Konrad LorenzRead
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