Honestly I use the word "defect" less and less these days because I think it's more accurate to refer to these as natural variations. "Defect" assumes things are supposed to be a certain way, but biology doesn't have any direction, it just keeps exploring what is possible in every which way it can, and natural selection filters out some variations. Some variations really are upgrades.
Edit: I'm not saying all variations are helpful! Most aren't.
These extra limbs can't be completely functional, the chick would've 100% died in the wild. So yes, it is just a defect. I get where you're coming from, but this does nothing positive for the animal except for slowing it down and probably being painful
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u/Grueaux 29d ago edited 28d ago
Honestly I use the word "defect" less and less these days because I think it's more accurate to refer to these as natural variations. "Defect" assumes things are supposed to be a certain way, but biology doesn't have any direction, it just keeps exploring what is possible in every which way it can, and natural selection filters out some variations. Some variations really are upgrades.
Edit: I'm not saying all variations are helpful! Most aren't.