What hypothesis explains Darwin's theory of how limbless salamanders evolved according to Darwin's theory of nateral selection?

Answer 1

Basically Charles Darwin came up with 4 needed characteristics that allows animals/plants to evolve. While studying in the Galapagos Islands he realized for a specific species to evolve they need:

1) To be isolated (on different continents or by water)

2) Reproduction has to be involved (takes many trial and errors)

3) Natural Selection has to occur (the fittest survive the weakest die...like giraffes and long necks if having a long neck to reach the high leaves in trees is needed they'll survive while the shorter neck giraffes die)

4) Have to correctly be fitted sexually (same number of gametes)

In this case probably it was a salmander that eventually became isolated by water therefore primarily not using any limbs and they kept reproducing while the ones with the longer legs lives became harder to survive from predators. The interesting observation is that several species have developed the limbless response to environmental conditions. Reptiles evolved to become snakes and both lizards and salamanders also developed this trait. Other animals which gave op limbs for increased mobility include whales and dolphins (limbless mammals) and ichthyosaurs (limbless reptiles) which evolved from limbed animals to emulate fish.