What is the evidence of whale evolution?
Looking at a whale’s body and biology, there are plenty of clues that their ancestors lived on land. They breathe air and nurse their young with their own milk, they also have paddle-shaped flippers which encase hand bones with five ‘fingers’. As embryos, whales have tiny back limbs which disappear before birth.
Does the fossil evidence support or refute the claim that cetaceans evolved through change over time from an ancestral mammal that lived on land explain your answer?
Does fossil evidence support or refute the claim that cetaceans evolved through change over time from an ancestral mammal that lived on land? Support, because all of the traits that changed changed in a progression from the earliest to most recent ancestor.
Are there still gaps in our knowledge of whale evolution?
There are still many gaps in the scientific knowledge about whales’ evolution. The information gaps are even larger for extinct species, where scientists find it especially difficult to find links between the various whale species and families.
Is the fossil record complete for whales?
1999; Gatesy and O’Leary 2001). However, the oldest whale fossils known are approximately 50 million years old, and it is unlikely that the closest relatives of whales are still living.
Which is the best evidence that a series of fossils shows the evolution of the whale?
Fossils provide lots of evidence about the ancestors of whales. For example it shows that a land mammal lived between 50 million and 70 million years ago. Scientists think whales evolved from these ocean-dwelling mammals. They can tell this and more cell from a fossil.
Is the evolution of whales from land dwelling ancestors supported by evidence or is it just a whale of tale?
Is the evolution of whales from land-dwelling ancestors supported by evidence, or is it just a whale of tale? Whales evolved from four-legged, terrestrial ancestors over millions of years. Whales evolved, but only in terms of adapting to a changing environment; they did not evolve from a terrestrial creature.
Why do scientists believe that whales evolved from wolves?
The traditional hypothesis of cetacean evolution, first proposed by Van Valen in 1966, was that whales were related to the mesonychids, an extinct order of carnivorous ungulates (hoofed animals) that resembled wolves with hooves and were a sister group of the artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates).
What ancient animal did whales evolve from?
Both hippos and whales evolved from four-legged, even-toed, hoofed (ungulate) ancestors that lived on land about 50 million years ago. Modern-day ungulates include hippopotamus, giraffe, deer, pig and cow.
What are the five lines of evidence for evolution?
Evidence for evolution: anatomy, molecular biology, biogeography, fossils, & direct observation.
Which living animal is most closely related to cetaceans such as whales?
hippopotamus
Furthermore, the DNA testing revealed that whales share a DNA sequence found only in one other animal – indicating that among all the non-whale mammals alive today, whales’ closest living relatives are none other than hippopotamus!
Which animal makes casein protein that is most similar to whale protein?
The hippopotamus is most similar to the whale in casein protein production. This suggests that the hippopotamus is most related to the whale and they have the most rca.
What mutations of modern day whales can you find?
Scientists have found that a genetic mutation in the eyes of right whales that hampers their ability to see in bright light may make them more susceptible to fatal entanglements in fishing gear, one of the major causes of death for this critically endangered mammal.