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Characteristics of Island Species

Marine Iguana  etc.

Animals and plants that evolved on islands have special characteristics. 

• They grow to be either giants or dwarfs e.g. komodo dragon
• Archipelago speciation which means species evolve in a unique way in isolated conditions. e.g. The blue footed booby.
• They are endemic which means they are not find anywhere else. They don't migrate e.g. white starling of Bali
• Relictualism or being left behind in a region when related species have become extinct in other places. 
• They lose their defenses 
• Adaptive radiation or the splitting of one species into several different species. e.g. kangaroos, koalas, and wallabies originally came from one ancestor.

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