Answer this, Please

[Jet Black]

Thats interesting...

Certainly here in Canada there are raccoons that live in the midst of large forests that have never seen cities ,etc. Are there differences in these raccoon's brains and those that live in the city in terms of brain size?

iirc yes. city dwellers have brains 3x the size of forest dwellers. as regards brains structure, I don't know. I don't know what tests have been done on them either.

On these kinds of time scales, you'd think this would represent micro-evolution, correct? Variability in brain size would be a product of the natural diversity in populations of mammals like these. So larger-brains may have been selected in the micro-evolutionary sense.

basically it is microevolution, but quite a bit of it because of a strong selecting force, and a vast change in environment. the animals that colonise cities the best are the most adaptable, such as foxes, rats raccoons etc.

 

[Nathan David]

Don't forget cockroaches. They have adapted quite well to living in New York City.

 

[Jet Black]

Don't forget cockroaches. They have adapted quite well to living in New York City.

they even have degrees in law and hold political offices.

 

[ThePhoenix]

they even have degrees in law and hold political offices.

Don't insult the cockroaches.

"What's the difference between a dead lawyer in the middle of the road, and a dead snake in the middle of the road?
There's skid marks in front of the snake"

 

[Arthur Dietrich]

haha, thanks, I think it needs spreading around all the people offering responses though

is this debate somewhere where I can join in?

Yes and no. 'snot very active. Actually, the board itself is dedicated to something entirely different and our debate thread might get booted soon XP

I will try and send her (and anyone else interested) over here though, how's that? ^^

 

[Jet Black]

that would be excellent thanks