The notion that the long neck of a giraffe developed because individuals stretched their necks to reach high food sources and then passed this trait to their offspring is known as the "inheritance of acquired characteristics." This idea, proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in the early 19th century, suggests that traits acquired during an organism's lifetime can be inherited. However, this theory has largely been discredited in favor of Darwinian evolution, which emphasizes natural selection and genetic variation as the primary mechanisms for the development of traits over time.
Copyright © 2026 eLLeNow.com All Rights Reserved.