Question

Below is a diagram indicating the limb bones of a human, a crocodile, a bat, a whale, and a bird. Similar bones are highlighted in the same colors. Humans, crocodiles, bats, whales, and birds have similar limb bones. What do these similarities suggest? Is the answer humans crocodiles bats whales and birds evolved from a common ancestor?

Answer 1

Yes, the similarities in limb bones between humans, crocodiles, bats, whales, and birds strongly suggest that they evolved from a common ancestor. This is because the presence of similar bones in the limbs of these diverse species indicates a common origin and shared evolutionary history. The anatomical resemblances, particularly in the structure and arrangement of the bones, suggest that these species inherited their limb bones from a common ancestor and subsequently adapted them to suit their specific lifestyles and habitats. This is a key concept in evolutionary biology known as homology.