List of examples of convergent evolution

Convergent evolution—the repeated evolution of similar traits in multiple lineages which all ancestrally lack the trait—is rife in nature, as illustrated by the examples below.

Distantly related organisms often develop analogous structures by adapting to similar environments.

Here is a list of examples in which unrelated proteins have similar functions with different structure.

Here is a list of examples in which unrelated proteins have similar tertiary structures but different functions.

The most well-studied example is the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, which independently evolved at the same positions regardless of the underlying sublineage.

The skulls of the thylacine (left) and the grey wolf, Canis lupus , are similar, although the species are only very distantly related (different infraclasses ). The skull shape of the red fox, Vulpes vulpes , is even closer to that of the thylacine. [ 1 ]
Species in Marsupialia in Australia (left column) and Placentalia in Europe and America (right column) resulting from convergent evolution. [ 2 ]
Pill bugs look like pill millipedes, but are actually wood lice that have converged on the same defenses, until they are difficult to tell apart