Acknowledgments / xi
Introduction / 3
1. Dinner on the Lagoon / 9
2. Consider the Octopus / 11
3. Convergence: How Clear Is the Signal? / 21
4. The Inevitability of Form / 31
5. Swallowing Convergence / 44
6. Biting Convergence / 53
7. Walking (and Swimming) to Convergence / 67
8. Sticking to Convergence / 82
9. When Evolution Begins to See / 93
10. The Color of Evolution / 108
11. The Smell and Taste of Evolution / 120
12. (In)tangible Evolution / 128
13. The Road to Mushrooms / 150
14. The Road to Plants / 155
15. The Arthropods Show the Way / 165
16. Converging on the Farm / 177
17. The Road to the Sky / 189
18. The Birds Converge/ 200
19. Sexual Convergence / 209
20. The Road to Mammals / 221
21. The Roots of Sentience / 234
22. Convergent Brains / 241
23. The Road to “King Cortex” / 252
24. Convergent Minds / 263
25. Playing with Convergence / 273
26. The Final Steps / 286
27. Back to the Lagoon / 301
Notes / 305
General Index / 463
Index of Genera / 489