What would life be like on a high-gravity planet?

The characteristics of an earth-like planet with a higher gravity than earth would be numerous.

First off, it should obviously be more massive than our planet, which has in itself a few consequences: a bigger size (likely, even though the density here would also be a factor) and less internal heat lost to space over time (due to the square cube law, as size increases the superficial area needed to radiate gets proportionally smaller).

Moreover, the pressure and density of gases at the surface would be higher, since there’s now a stronger force pulling the atmosphere. This means that winds and waves would carry a lot more energy than they do on earth.

The overall landscape would be flatter, with relatively short mountains and shallow oceans. The higher gravity would also help to create and maintain a molten interior due to pressure, thus leading to lots of geological activity, and maybe to an even more flattened surface.

But how could life evolve in such a scenario? What adaptation would turn out to be successful?

On a high-gravity planet, a simple fall or slip could become lethal at much…