Here's a simplified explanation of their evolutionary history:
* Common Ancestor: Both rabbits and whales share a common ancestor that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. This ancestor was a small, aquatic, four-legged creature.
* Divergence: Over millions of years, the ancestors of rabbits and whales evolved in different directions.
* Rabbits: Their ancestors gradually adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle, developing characteristics like strong hind legs for jumping and a diet of plants.
* Whales: Their ancestors adapted to a marine lifestyle, developing characteristics like flippers, a streamlined body, and the ability to breathe underwater.
Key Points to Remember:
* Evolution is a slow process: It takes many generations and environmental pressures for significant changes to occur in a species.
* Evolutionary pathways are complex: Different species evolve along different branches of the evolutionary tree.
* Rabbits and whales are distinct lineages: They have evolved independently for millions of years and have developed highly specialized adaptations for their respective environments.
Think of it like this: Imagine two branches growing from the same tree. The branches will eventually diverge and grow into distinct shapes, even though they started from the same trunk. Similarly, rabbits and whales started from the same common ancestor but have evolved very different features due to different environmental pressures and selective pressures.