# Which mammal has done the least amount of evolving? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2003, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300 "2003-06-12T10:58:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/1 "2003-06-12T10:58:26Z")
Like say Monkeys(not true of course) or Lemurs(probably not true). What species of animal looks the same from hundreds of thousands of years, or has adapted thru evolution the least? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/2 "2003-06-12T11:15:45Z")
As a WAG, I’d say shrews, moles and the like. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/3 "2003-06-12T11:40:28Z")
I read recently that the **opossum** is pretty much the same as it was thousands of years ago. I’ll try and find more on it. ---
**Author:** ![jinty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jinty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jinty)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/4 "2003-06-12T11:55:19Z")
AFAIK, any animal that practices asexual reproduction is unlikely to evolve at all. Evolution occurs when errors (technically known as mutations) occur in the copying of DNA from two sexual partners to the DNA of their offspring. This doesn’t occur in asexual reproduction - the DNA of the single ‘parent’ is the same as the DNA of the two ‘offspring’ - so greenfly, earthworms and other asexual creatures don’t evolve (and are effectively, for the same reason, clones). (My terminology is a bit vague, hopefully some professional biologist will come along and add the proper jargon to the above, & perhaps even fill in the blanks about how earthworms & greenfly got as far as they did.) ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/5 "2003-06-12T11:55:29Z")
[Here](http://www.holoweb.com/cannon/opossum.htm) we go. > [@](#): > > The Virginia opossum is among the most primitive and generalized of marsupials and [here](http://www.paleocene-mammals.de/marsupials.htm) > [@](#): > > Many Paleocene marsupials of South America are closely related to todays opossums, which are appropriately called “living fossils” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/6 "2003-06-12T12:08:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jinty \* > \*\*AFAIK, any animal that practices asexual reproduction is unlikely to evolve at all. Evolution occurs when errors (technically known as mutations) occur in the copying of DNA from two sexual partners to the DNA of their offspring. This doesn’t occur in asexual reproduction - the DNA of the single ‘parent’ is the same as the DNA of the two ‘offspring’ - so greenfly, earthworms and other asexual creatures don’t evolve (and are effectively, for the same reason, clones). > > (My terminology is a bit vague, hopefully some professional biologist will come along and add the proper jargon to the above, > & perhaps even fill in the blanks about how earthworms & greenfly got as far as they did.) \*\* No, the DNA of asexually reproducing organisms can still mutate and the mutations can be favourable or not and thus selected or not - this is why we have antibiotic-resistant pathogens. BTW, Earthworms reproduce sexually; they are hermaphrodites(both male and female), but they pair up and exchange gametes. Aphids _can_ reproduce parthenogenetically (females can clone themselves), but they don’t exclusively do so. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/7 "2003-06-12T12:17:42Z")
Additionally, the biggest advantage of sexual reproduction is that it apparently minimizes bad mutations and enhances good ones. I have no idea how this works, I just read it in the news. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/8 "2003-06-12T12:40:02Z")
Can we just accept that mammals _do_ reproduce sexually? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/9 "2003-06-12T12:53:52Z")
Yes, it would seem that (natural)parthenogenesis in mammals is either exceptionally rare, or entirely absent. (As Cecil says, there was that _one_ time though…) ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/10 "2003-06-12T13:10:33Z")
Mets fans? _Sorry - couldn’t resist…_ ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/11 "2003-06-12T13:32:53Z")
The most primitive extant mamals are the 3 species of monotremes: the platypus, the short beaked echidna and the long beaked echidna. These guys still lay eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/12 "2003-06-12T13:41:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > \*\*The most primitive extant mamals are the 3 species of monotremes: the platypus, the short beaked echidna and the long beaked echidna. These guys still lay eggs. \*\* You beat me to it. That was my response precisely. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/13 "2003-06-12T13:42:58Z")
Let’s clear something up. It’s really incorrect to say that one anminal is “less evolved” than other animals. We all trace our ancestors back to primitive life forms that existed billions of years ago. Monkeys are not “less” evolved than humans. They’ve simply evolved in different ways. In fact, one could argue that smaller, faster reproducing animals are **more** evolved than humans since they’ve had more generations to reproduce and to acquire mutations. Evolution is **not** a process that is directed at producing humans, with the other animals falling by the wayside as failed experiments. Having said that, it appears that shrews are the extant animals that most physically resemeble the early mammals. Des: Didn’t we go thru this whole deal just 2 days ago in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=189702) about monotremes not necessarily being precursors of placental or marsupial mammals? ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/14 "2003-06-12T13:46:19Z")
Just because a species has been around for millions of years doesn’t mean it has stopped evolving. Natural selection continues to occur even in the absence of any apparent change in the appearance of a species. I would argue that the amount of time a species has spent evolving should date from the time that species first appeared. In which case, _Homo sapiens sapiens_ would qualify, having emerged only about 120,000 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/15 "2003-06-12T14:24:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by John Mace \* > \*\*Des: Didn’t we go thru this whole deal just 2 days ago in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=189702) about monotremes not necessarily being precursors of placental or marsupial mammals? \*\* What’s your problem, **John Mace**. How do you read “most primitive” as meaning “necessarily being precursors”? ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/16 "2003-06-12T14:25:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > \*\*These guys still lay eggs. \*\* Thats amazing. Guys? Laying eggs! Transgendered oviparity! Whoda thunk? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/17 "2003-06-12T14:30:30Z")
> [@](#): > > What’s your problem, John Mace. How do you read “most primitive” as meaning “necessarily being precursors”? I think his point is that if monotremes are not precursors of placental mammals, there’s no reason to assume they’re more “primitive”. If they evolved on a seperate track from placental and marsupial mammals, they could have done so at anytime. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/18 "2003-06-12T14:50:09Z")
“the biggest advantage of sexual reproduction is that it apparently minimizes bad mutations and enhances good ones.” I can think of several other “advantages” to sexual reproduction. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/19 "2003-06-12T15:04:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Little Nemo \* > \*\*I think his point is that if monotremes are not precursors of placental mammals, there’s no reason to assume they’re more “primitive”. If they evolved on a seperate track from placental and marsupial mammals, they could have done so at anytime. \*\* That would render the whole question meaningless. To say that no extant organism is more primitive than any other isn’t a terribly helpful idea, either. I would say that a genetically engineered Myxini, which I could definitely say only evolved last Wednesday when it was created in a lab, was still a more primitive organism than any Teleost. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300/20 "2003-06-12T15:17:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > \*\*That would render the whole question meaningless. > \*\* _Ding, ding, ding!_ We have a winner! Every mammal, indeed, every organism alive today has had the same “amount of evolving” as every other organism. Evolution never stops. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-mammal-has-done-the-least-amount-of-evolving/181300.md?page=2)