What does an analogous structure tell us about the evolution of similar adaptations?
An analogous structure is an adaptation that appears in multiple species, but has different origins. The classic is the eye which appears in multiple different species, but looks like it evolved independently about 40 different times and in different ways. This is why we have simple pinhole eyes through to compex camera eyes. another classic analogous structure occurs in burrowing creatures, large digging forelimbs, blindness, etc.
