analogy, in biology, similarity of function and superficial resemblance of structures that have different origins. For example, the wings of a fly, a moth, and a bird are analogous because they developed independently as adaptations to a common function—flying. The presence of the analogous structure, in this case the wing, does not reflect evolutionary closeness among the organisms that possess it. Analogy is one aspect of evolutionary biology and is distinct from homology (q.v.), the similarity of structures as a result of similar embryonic origin and development, considered strong evidence of common descent.
In many cases analogous structures, or analogues, tend to become similar in appearance by a process termed convergence. An example is the convergence of the streamlined form in the bodies of squid, shark, seal, porpoise, penguin, and ichthyosaur, animals of diverse ancestry. Physiological processes and behaviour patterns may also exhibit analogous convergence. Egg-guarding behaviour in the cobra, the stickleback, the octopus, and the spider is thought to have evolved independently among those animals, which are quite distant in their biological relationships.
Many New World cacti and African euphorbias are similar in appearance, being succulent, spiny, water-storing, and adapted to desert conditions generally. They are classified, however, in two separate and distinct families, sharing characteristics that have evolved independently in response to similar environmental challenges.