&gt; Why doesn&#x27;t evolution get stuck in local maxima<p>Is there any compelling reason to believe evolution _doesn&#x27;t_ get stuck in local optima? It&#x27;s not my field, so may be missing something obvious, but I see no reason that evolution requires complete avoidance of local optima. Different species could be the result of being &quot;pulled&quot; towards to different local optima. Local optima could disrupt evolution but, over time, a single large enough mutation or large enough change in external environment will either push you out of that optima, or stop it from being an optima.