Quiz Question: Komodo dragons are examples of insular gigantism – meaning they evolved to be large because…
The given options are:
- Of their island habitat
- They get more sun that way
- It helps them float
Correct Answer: Of their island habitat
Info: The island effect, or Foster’s rule, suggests that typically small creatures—including reptiles like the Komodo’s ancestors—evolve to be large when confined to islands, where predators are few. And vice versa: For example, the now-extinct elephants that inhabited Indonesia in prehistory evolved to be quite small, since the islands didn’t offer enough veggies to go around for full-size pachyderms.