Question
The image below shows the transition of Pakicetus to Janjucetus and Squaldon.
Tamura, Nobu. “Cetacea-evolution”. May 2013. CC BY-SA 3.0. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cetacea-evolution.jpg
Janjucetus is the ancestor of modern-day whales. The fossil record helped scientists determine the relationship between Pakicetus and the modern-day whale.
Which of the following statements best describes the importance of the fossil record in making the connection between these two organisms?
Fossils show that whales have always lived in the ocean and have not changed over time.
Fossils of ancient whales show that they had wings and could fly before evolving to live in water.
Fossils of modern whales were found in the same rock layers as dinosaur fossils, indicating they lived at the same time.
Fossils of whale ancestors like Pakicetus show transitional features, indicating a gradual adaptation from land to water.
Tamura, Nobu. “Cetacea-evolution”. May 2013. CC BY-SA 3.0. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cetacea-evolution.jpg
Janjucetus is the ancestor of modern-day whales. The fossil record helped scientists determine the relationship between Pakicetus and the modern-day whale.
Which of the following statements best describes the importance of the fossil record in making the connection between these two organisms?
Fossils show that whales have always lived in the ocean and have not changed over time.
Fossils of ancient whales show that they had wings and could fly before evolving to live in water.
Fossils of modern whales were found in the same rock layers as dinosaur fossils, indicating they lived at the same time.
Fossils of whale ancestors like Pakicetus show transitional features, indicating a gradual adaptation from land to water.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The statement that best describes the importance of the fossil record in making the connection between Pakicetus and modern-day whales is:
**Fossils of whale ancestors like Pakicetus show transitional features, indicating a gradual adaptation from land to water.**
This statement captures how the fossil record reveals the evolutionary changes that occurred in early whale ancestors as they adapted from terrestrial to aquatic environments, highlighting the transitional traits that demonstrate this process.
**Fossils of whale ancestors like Pakicetus show transitional features, indicating a gradual adaptation from land to water.**
This statement captures how the fossil record reveals the evolutionary changes that occurred in early whale ancestors as they adapted from terrestrial to aquatic environments, highlighting the transitional traits that demonstrate this process.