I have selected pakicetus as the chosen organism for this explanation.
Pakicetus is considered a transitional fossil because it exhibits characteristics of both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Its hind limbs were well-adapted for walking on land, indicating that it was capable of moving on land. However, its ear structure and dental morphology suggest that it also had adaptations for living in water.
Additionally, pakicetus has a thickened and elongated cochlea in its inner ear, which is a feature found in modern whales and is important for hearing underwater. This suggests that pakicetus was likely an early ancestor of modern whales and provides evidence for the evolution of whales from land-dwelling mammals.
Overall, the combination of terrestrial and aquatic adaptations in pakicetus makes it a key transitional fossil in the evolutionary lineage of whales.
transitional fossils provide important evidence for evolution of organisms over long periods of time. 3 examples of transitional fossils are describes in this unit: pakicetus. pick one of these three organisms, then use the information in the table below to explain why your chosen organism is considered transitional.
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