Chris
Are there any forms that AREN'T transitional forms? If the environment is
putting enough "pressure" on a species, then whatever forms it ALREADY uses
to deal with that pressure becomes transitional, because it is along the
path to the new forms or at least modified forms that will take their
places. Forms only become non-transitional temporarily, or as long as there
is no strong evolutionary pressure to change them. Once a bird develops
wings that suit it to it's habits and environment, they may stabilize for a
WHILE. But, as soon as the environment demands it, the wings will start to
change. They could be bred away entirely, if pressures were strong enough
for a long enough time (suppose the bird is forced to live in an environment
that prevents flight altogether, but greatly rewards progressive dexterity
from those same wings; they WILL become some kind of hand-like appendage;
the genes will learn new tricks, given enough time).
So: What forms are NOT transitional forms, in principle? And WHY do you say
they are not transitional? What makes one form transitional and another not?
Is it not transitional if we just don't know where it's "going"? Or what?