Use the scenario to answer the question.

Question

A fossil indicates that whales might have started out as small land mammals. This animal was about the size of a wolf and had a diet of meat and fish. While the fossil has the body of a land animal, its head is shaped like a whale with an ear bone that is unique to whales.

Which statement is likely true about the fossil?

(1 point)
Responses

It is not a transitional fossil, but it shows correlation.
It is not a transitional fossil, but it shows correlation.

It is a transitional fossil that shows causation.
It is a transitional fossil that shows causation.

It is not a transitional fossil, but it shows causation.
It is not a transitional fossil, but it shows causation.

It is a transitional fossil that shows correlation.

Answer 1

The most accurate statement about the fossil is:

It is a transitional fossil that shows correlation.

A transitional fossil provides evidence for evolutionary changes over time, indicating how one group of organisms evolves into another. The fact that this fossil shows characteristics of both land mammals and early whales suggests it is transitional. The term "correlation" is appropriate here as it implies a relationship between different forms in the evolutionary lineage rather than direct causation.