What It Demonstrates
Natural selection operates on heritable variation. Creatures that find
food faster survive longer and reproduce more, passing their traits to
offspring. Over many generations the population's average traits shift
toward values that provide a survival advantage in the current
environment — an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS).
How to Use
Hover over any creature to inspect its traits. Use the sliders to
control mutation rate (how much traits change on reproduction), food
rate, predator count, and the environment hue that determines optimal
camouflage. Watch the trait histograms shift over generations.
Did You Know?
Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859 without
knowing about DNA. The modern synthesis (1930s–50s) united Darwinian
selection with Mendelian genetics and showed that heritable variation
comes from mutations in DNA — exactly what this simulation models.