Asked by vg

Use the phylogenetic tree to the right to choose the true statement below.

Crocodiles are more closely related to amphibians than to primates.

Ray-finned fish evolved before sharks.

Rodents and rabbits are most closely related to primates.

Amphibians are more closely related to ray-finned fish than to primates.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
"Rodents and rabbits are most closely related to primates." is the true statement.

Reason: rodents, rabbits (lagomorphs), and primates are all placental mammals and form a close mammalian clade, so they share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with amphibians, fish, or crocodiles. The other statements are false: crocodiles are closer to primates (both amniotes) than to amphibians; sharks evolved before (are more basal than) ray-finned fish; and amphibians are closer to primates (both tetrapods) than to ray-finned fish.