The theory of adaptive radiation states that a change in environment leads to a change in behavioral traits. Esteemed paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn coined the term in 1902 following Charles Darwin’s study of finches in the Galapagos Islands roughly 40 years prior. Upon his return from the Ecuadorian archipelago to his home in London, Darwin concluded that despite their differences in appearance and behavior, many of the finches he studied must have come from a single ancestral species—they were all a part of the same family. Environmental factors had caused different birds to evolve in different ways, thus creating notable distinctions between them.

Gus and Max Warbington are brothers. They’re 21 and 23 years old, respectively. Animals have always played a big part in their lives. Their family farm in Tumalo, OR has been home to dogs, cats, chickens, sheep, horses, peacocks, a tortoise named Chompy and two camels, Lena and Teton. Their parents, Rebecca and Martin, run the nearby Tumalo Animal Hospital. Snowboarding has always played an important role in the brothers’ lives, too. Tumalo is roughly 30 miles northeast of Mount Bachelor, where the two have distinguished themselves as a couple of the Pacific Northwest’s most freewheeling, self-ruling young riders…

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“Hammer time or ham-it-up time—what’s the difference? Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, OR. Gus Warbington on the left, Max Warbington on the right.” Photos: Tim Zimmerman