A new animal was discovered in a remote area of Southeast Asia. The animal seemed to resemble a crocodile. Biologists have several ways that they can classify the mystery animal and determine its evolutionary history. One way involves identifying important characteristics of the animal and forming a hypothesis about the order in which it evolved from a common ancestor. The first step in this process is to analyze the characteristics in a data table. The cladogram below, based on the data in the table, could show the evolutionary relationships of these animals. Where would a biologist place the mystery animal on the cladogram? (SC.912.L.15.1) *

Question

A new animal was discovered in a remote area of Southeast Asia. The animal seemed to resemble a crocodile. Biologists have several ways that they can classify the mystery animal and determine its evolutionary history. One way involves identifying important characteristics of  the animal and forming a hypothesis about the order in which it evolved from a common ancestor. The first step in this process is to analyze the characteristics in a data table. The cladogram below, based on the data in the table, could show the evolutionary relationships of these animals. Where would a biologist place the mystery animal on the cladogram? (SC.912.L.15.1) *
1 point
Captionless Image
before the fish
between the fish and the deer
between the deer and the human
after the human

GPT-4o mini · Answer

To determine where to place the mystery animal on the cladogram, biologists would need to analyze the characteristics outlined in the data table and compare them with those of the other animals shown in the cladogram.

Since the mystery animal resembles a crocodile, it likely shares certain characteristics with reptiles. Depending on its physical and genetic traits, the biologist would assess whether it has more in common with fish, deer, humans, or other reptiles.

If the mystery animal has primitive characteristics similar to fish, it might be placed before fish.
If it shares characteristics with both fish and deer, it would be placed between them.
If it has traits more similar to deer and humans, it would go between those two groups.
If it possesses advanced characteristics specific to humans, it would be placed after the human.

Without specific details from the data table, it is not possible to give a precise answer. However, if the mystery animal indeed resembles a crocodile, it is likely to be placed within the clade that includes reptiles.

In summary, the appropriate placement would likely be between the deer and the human, assuming it shares characteristics with reptiles but has advanced traits not found in fish. However, this is contingent upon the specific traits listed in the data table that may affect its classification.