Giraff'e neck and forelimbs get elongated during the course of evolution, due to :

Options

A. Inheritances of acquired characters
B. Natural selection
C. Geographical isolation
D. Convergent evolution

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding the Question**: The question asks why giraffes have elongated necks and forelimbs during the course of evolution.

2. **Identifying the Theories of Evolution**: There are several theories regarding how traits evolve, including natural selection, inheritance of acquired characteristics, geographical isolation, and convergent evolution.

3. **Lamarck's Theory**: The concept of inheritance of acquired characteristics was proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. According to this theory, traits that an organism acquires during its lifetime can be passed on to its offspring.

4. **Giraffes' Habitat**: Giraffes inhabit areas where food sources, such as leaves, are located high up in trees. This environment necessitated that they reach for food that was not accessible at ground level.

5. **Behavioral Adaptation**: To access this food, giraffes would stretch their necks and forelimbs. This behavior is similar to how a human might stretch to reach something high up.

6. **Passing on Traits**: According to Lamarck, the physical changes that giraffes experienced—stretching their necks and limbs—would be inherited by their offspring. Over generations, this led to the evolution of giraffes with longer necks and forelimbs.

7. **Conclusion**: Therefore, the elongation of giraffes' necks and forelimbs during evolution can be attributed to the inheritance of acquired characteristics as proposed by Lamarck.

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