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Evolution/PhylogenyThe Galapagos Penguin is part of the animalia kingdom, chordata phylum, the aves class, sphenisciformes order, and the spheniscidae family (Steinfurth 2012, May 1). The Eudyptula genus which contain the white-flippered and the little blue penguin, despite the difference in climate, is a living relative to the Galapagos Penguin. (Barker 2005, October 4). All the different types of penguin that are widely spread throughout is thought to come from allopatric speciation. All of the Penguin's adaptions such as panting or cooling off are caused by an event called natural selection; the "survival of the fittest". There are still no sure sign of the penguin's evolutionary relation, but it does share some common ancestry with loons, frigate-birds and tubenoses from DNA hybridization. (Baker 2006, January 7) Before the split of the Spheniscus and the Eudyptula in about 25 mya common ancestry with other penguins of different genera: after spliting up in to the most recent genera of penguins the Spheniscus and Eudyptula.(Baker 2006, January 7)
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