Will animals ever evolve wheels?

[superrific]

Left to their own devices and over the next X million years.

Obviously wheels are considerably less useful without a) independent propulsion and b) roads, but it's also true that animals adapt to their specific environment. So wolves that live in the forests in the Rockies won't, but maybe wolves living in the flatlands of East Texas could.

Also, it doesn't have to be the only or even primary form of locomotion. For instance, imagine if humans had wheels on our elbows. Most of the time we'd walk, but one could imagine that there might be an advantage in some environments. I imagine a person pushing with the back legs and then coasting on the front wheels while the back legs wind up again. Like the breaststroke in swimming.

So anyone think it could be possible for some animal species somewhere, and if so what? As long as we're assuming long evolution, It's fair to assume supporting features could also evolve, like retractability (which obviously already exists for many species).

 

[lawtig02]

Been there. Done that.

 

[Milk and Cookies]

I’d guess the main obstacle is that the incremental steps leading to a fully functioning wheel are not advantageous to the organism so that path of evolution is not pursued. Hard to imagine how proto axels, spokes, wheels, etc that don’t have rotating function would not be huge hindrances in terms of locomotion and resource consumption.

 

[finesse]

In a sense they've had them forever. Several insects ,amphibians, crustaceans curl in a ball as a means of travel. Since a wheel is essentially a section of that sort of round shape that needs a suspension for support, the concept seems much the same. Of course I may clearly be missing your point but I'm generally of the opinion that we owe more to the keen observation of nature than most people realize.

 

[rodoheel]

Given that no animal species has really evolved anything close to wheels in billions of years this seems pretty unlikely.

 

[finesse]

Given that no animal species has really evolved anything close to wheels in billions of years this seems pretty unlikely.

Literally there is no advantage to an individual. They only work on specialized surfaces and where are you going to find them and what's going to be there to feed on? No real driver to develop them , either. Really only useful to carry more weight than an individual can by itself. Not a real biggy precivilization.

 

[SnoopRob]

I’d guess the main obstacle is that the incremental steps leading to a fully functioning wheel are not advantageous to the organism so that path of evolution is not pursued. Hard to imagine how proto axels, spokes, wheels, etc that don’t have rotating function would not be huge hindrances in terms of locomotion and resource consumption.

Given the ways that animals have actually already evolved, it seems more likely that non-flying animals would evolve the means of flight before developing wheels.

 

[nrsair]

You ain’t never heard of a hoop snake?

 

[finesse]

You ain’t never heard of a hoop snake?

My first thoughts, fwiw but I decided enough of 'em ain't from around here for me to want to explain it.

 

[whatntarnation]

If the earth's surface was as smooth as a bowling ball, then maybe?

 

[superrific]

ChatGPT says it's biologically infeasible because wheels need axles for spinning. I don't know, seems like there could be a polymer like bird beaks rotating around an axle lubricated with something like mucus, but ChatPGT says no.

But if it could exist, it thinks (at least) that it would be a pro-adaptive solution in East Texas and the Outback.

 

[superrific]

I’d guess the main obstacle is that the incremental steps leading to a fully functioning wheel are not advantageous to the organism so that path of evolution is not pursued. Hard to imagine how proto axels, spokes, wheels, etc that don’t have rotating function would not be huge hindrances in terms of locomotion and resource consumption.

It a big obstacle, for sure. On the other hand, lots of things that look all-or-nothing (e.g. flagella) have evolved. The wheel would have to be made out of a substance like toenails, claws, etc.

 

[superrific]

Given the ways that animals have actually already evolved, it seems more likely that non-flying animals would evolve the means of flight before developing wheels.

Ain't no way a big mammal ever gets off the ground. I'd put money that an elephant would develop wheels before functional wings, if either or both were possible. I see your point (i.e. both are vanishingly improbable) but still.

 

[whatntarnation]

ChatGPT says it's biologically infeasible because wheels need axles for spinning. I don't know, seems like there could be a polymer like bird beaks rotating around an axle lubricated with something like mucus, but ChatPGT says no.

But if it could exist, it thinks (at least) that it would be a pro-adaptive solution in East Texas and the Outback.

What about a symbiotic relationship between organisms, where one becomes the wheel and the other the axle/frame.

 

[C-Money]

I wish I could fly.

 

[aGDevil2k]

Don't really see how they could physically ever happen.

 

[farce©]

 

[finesse]

I think the correct question is why they would. Seems like they'd lose at every level when it came to natural selection.

 

[SnoopRob]

Ain't no way a big mammal ever gets off the ground. I'd put money that an elephant would develop wheels before functional wings, if either or both were possible. I see your point (i.e. both are vanishingly improbable) but still.

You're most assuredly correct that large animals like elephants would likely be better going for wheels than wings. Although it did work out well for Dumbo (in the end).

Also, if pigs could get wings, that'd be pretty awesome as we could finally find out all the things that happen when pigs fly.

 

[Bigs23]

I’m going with no.