The condition of a species being native to and found only in a particular geographic area. Endemic species have evolved in isolation and cannot naturally occur anywhere else in the world.
From Greek 'endemos' meaning 'native' or 'belonging to a people,' from 'en' (in) plus 'demos' (people). First used in biogeography in the 1800s to describe species restricted to specific locations.
Islands are endemism hotspots because isolation acts like a natural laboratory! The Galápagos finches that inspired Darwin's theory are classic examples—each island's unique conditions created distinct species found nowhere else on Earth.
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