An adaptation is defined as a process whereby an organism becomes increasingly well suited to living in a particular environment. Dolphins classified as mammals and sharks as fishes are two species which share some similar adaptive traits as they both live in water.
The two animals share a common trait although they have different characteristics. They have similar physical traits which enable them to survive in the oceans. One of the traits they share is that of colouration or countershading. Dolphins and sharks have the same colours on their bodies which acts as a camouflage. Their backs are a dark grey or blue while their bellies are a light gray or white. This makes it an adaptation because the trait assist these species to blend into the marine environment when seen from below or above, as stated by the References website (n.d). It makes them less visible from below and above the
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Natural selection is defined as a process in nature by which organisms better adapted to the environment tend to survive and reproduce more than those which are less adapted to the environment, according to Whittaker (2012). Therefore the colouration of sharks and dolphins is a adaptation by natural selection which prevents them from being seen by predators in the marine environment and better their chances of survival.
In evolution the difference between a homologous trait and an analogous trait is that a homologous trait is when organisms share a trait due to common ancestry whereas analogous traits are those traits that similar due to reasons other than relatedness of common ancestry. As a result the trait of countershading or colouration in dolphins and sharks is a homologous trait. Dolphins are classified as mammals and sharks as fish respectively. They are found in the same kingdom but have different ancestral origins. They only share similar traits which make them more adaptive to their environment for