One example of preadaptation is insect flight as insects were originally exclusively terrestrial, some with fanlike structures for cooling which were selected for until they were large and efficient enough to allow flight (Bickerton 2000, p.160).
Source
- Bickerton, Derek (2000). "Biomusicology and Language Evolution Studies", The Origins of Music. Cambridge, Mass: A Bradford Book, The MIT Press. ISBN 0262232065.