🔬 Science · Animals of the World

The Red Queen Hypothesis

Introduce the Red Queen hypothesis — species must keep evolving just to maintain fitness relative to co-evolving partners; describe predator-prey arms races (cheetah speed vs gazelle speed, bat echolocation vs moth hearing jamming) and parasite-host co-evolution (myxomatosis in rabbits); explain Darwin's hawk moth and orchid as a classic example of mutualistic co-evolution predicting an unknown species; understand that co-evolution is a major driver of biological diversification

Typical age: 11–12 years

“Can your child explain the idea of an evolutionary arms race — how a predator and its prey keep evolving better attack and defence strategies in response to each other, never quite getting ahead?”

0 / 0 mastered

All done! Great job! 🎉

Explore graph

Needs first

Predator Hunting StrategiesREQUIRED
Co-evolutionary arms race concept depends on predator strategies and prey defences
Structural AdaptationsREQUIRED
Red Queen hypothesis and evolutionary arms races depends on structural and behavioural adaptations

Unlocks next

How Natural Selection Works
KS3 natural selection provides the mechanism that drives both sides of an evolutionary arms race
Sexual SelectionREQUIRED
Sexual selection and evolutionary game theory depends on understanding co-evolutionary dynamics and the Red Queen hypothesis