4. Lowchen ($5,000 to $8,000) LÃ¶wchen means âlittle lionâ in German, a fitting name for this small dog with an impressive mane of hair and talent for agility. The breed is often given a âlionâ trim, too: clipped close to the skin at the hindquarters, with cuffs of hair around the ankles and a plumed tail.
Vestigial describes an organ or body part that continues to exist without retaining its original function, such as our appendix. It's most often used in biology to describe something that either didn't finish developing or has become, through evolution, pretty much useless.
Vestigial traits can be an actual organism, a DNA sequence, or just an involuntary action. They are one of the above examples that have no immediate function or purpose in the species, but is vital to another, closely related species. Darwin was one of the first to realize that these traits were evidence of evolution.