Why do squids have beaks, and where did this trait originate from?
In: Biology
Squid are carnivores. They have beaks for biting and eating their prey.
The squid beak may have come from an ancestor that had a shell with a pair of doors on the front. Over time, evolution pushed the squid ancestor’s head out of its shell, but it kept the doors on its face for protection. The doors kept changing. They began to be used for biting instead of as a shield. That worked out great for the squid ancestor. It became one of the meanest, fastest things in the sea. Soon it didn’t need a shell at all. Now all that’s left of the squid ancestor’s shell are the doors, which are now a beak.
That’s evolution, baby!
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