This film explores four decades of research on the evolution of Galápagos finches, which has illuminated how species form and diversify.

Evolutionary biologists Rosemary and Peter Grant spent four decades tracking changes in body traits directly tied to survival in the famous Galápagos finches. They also identified behavioral characteristics that prevent different species from breeding with one another. Their pioneering studies documented natural selection in real time and revealed clues about how 13 distinct finch species arose from a single ancestral population that migrated from the mainland 2 million to 3 million years ago.

This version of the film pauses at three points where students answer questions about the film to assess their understanding of the concepts presented. After completing all quiz modules, students can view and print their answers.

The original version of the film, without the embedded assessment, is available to stream or download at https://www.biointeractive.org/origin-species-beak-finch

Version 2.3
Updated on 08/13/20