Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which characteristic distinguishes whales as mammals rather than fish?
Which characteristic distinguishes whales as mammals rather than fish?
- Whales have lungs and breathe air, while fish have gills. (correct)
- Whales are covered in shiny scales, while fish have smooth skin.
- Whales lay eggs, while fish give birth to live young.
- Whale flippers are made of many tiny bones, while fish fins have only a few bones.
Blue whales share more body structures with fish than they do with humans.
Blue whales share more body structures with fish than they do with humans.
False (B)
What evidence suggests that whales once had legs and walked on land?
What evidence suggests that whales once had legs and walked on land?
Presence of small leg bones hidden by the skin, fat, and muscles.
Body structures are determined by the code of ______ and are passed down from generation to generation over millions of years.
Body structures are determined by the code of ______ and are passed down from generation to generation over millions of years.
Match the following evolutionary terms with their definitions:
Match the following evolutionary terms with their definitions:
Why do scientists study skeletons to understand how species are connected?
Why do scientists study skeletons to understand how species are connected?
Shared body structures in different species always serve the same function as they did in their common ancestor.
Shared body structures in different species always serve the same function as they did in their common ancestor.
What trait is shared between humans and whales?
What trait is shared between humans and whales?
Humans, whales, and other mammals are believed to have evolved from a common ancestor that lived approximately ______ million years ago.
Humans, whales, and other mammals are believed to have evolved from a common ancestor that lived approximately ______ million years ago.
What is the earliest common ancestor shared by all living things on Earth?
What is the earliest common ancestor shared by all living things on Earth?
What is an paleontologist?
What is an paleontologist?
Why do species, both living and extinct, share similarities and also have differences?
Why do species, both living and extinct, share similarities and also have differences?
To compare organisms, both living and dead, paleontologists look at __________________.
To compare organisms, both living and dead, paleontologists look at __________________.
When paleontologists discover a new fossil, they compare it to other fossils that have already been found and to living organisms.
They look for similarities.
When paleontologists discover a new fossil, they compare it to other fossils that have already been found and to living organisms. They look for similarities.
Flashcards
Blue Whales
Blue Whales
Mammals with smooth skin, lungs, and give birth to live young, sharing more body structures with mammals than fish.
Shared Body Structures
Shared Body Structures
Structures in different species with the same pattern and roughly the same position in the body, indicating a shared evolutionary history.
Comparing Skeletons
Comparing Skeletons
Studying skeletons of different species to understand how they are connected through evolution.
Paleontologist Evidence
Paleontologist Evidence
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Common Ancestor
Common Ancestor
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Common Ancestor Population
Common Ancestor Population
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Radius and Ulna
Radius and Ulna
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Study Notes
- Blue whales are mammals
Blue Whales vs Fish
- Fish bodies are covered in shiny scales; whale bodies have smooth skin
- Fish lay eggs; whales give birth to live young
- Fish fins have many tiny bones; whale flippers are supported by a few bones
- Whales are mammals, like dogs, elephants, and humans
- Whales and fish look similar but are different; humans and blue whales look different but have much in common
- Mother whales produce milk for babies, like human mothers
- Whales have lungs and need to surface to breathe
- Human arm bones and blue whale flipper bones connect similarly
- Blue whales have small leg bones hidden by skin, fat, and muscle
- The small leg bones are leftovers from ancestors that had legs and walked on land
How Scientists Connect Species
- Scientists study the skeletons of two species to determine how they are connected
- Scientists can use x-rays or bones of present-day animals
- Scientists may also use fossils of extinct species
- Skeletons reveal how species are connected because organisms get traits the same way
- Body structures are determined by DNA and passed down through generations
- Similar bone patterns and positions indicate shared body structures
- Shared body structures in different species mean a common ancestor population existed
Evolutionary Connections
- Shared body structures found in common ancestors may have different functions now
- Paleontologists examine the fossil record to connect descendant species
- They look for evidence of front limbs, milk production, and lungs
- Fossils, DNA, and other evidence indicates the common ancestor of mammals was a tiny animal 65 million years ago
- Mouse-like creatures with four legs, claws, tails, and noses existed at that time
- Similarities allow paleontologists to infer whale ancestry
Human and Whale Shared Structures
- Humans and blue whales share structures and descended from a common ancestor
- The common ancestor had a backbone, radius and ulna (front limb bones), lungs, and milk-producing structures
Evolutionary Traits
- Whales, humans, and other mammals came from a common ancestor 65 million years ago
- Paleontological artists create drawings of ancestors based on skeletal knowledge
- Humans and mammals evolved from a tiny common ancestor
- Whales lost back legs but have remnants of the bones, which show old structures that have lost their functions
- Humans have short tailbones where tails would be
- Shared traits with whales show shared evolutionary history
Shared Traits
- Many animals share traits such as a skull, eyes, teeth, and a backbone
- All life is related and shares cell structure and DNA
- All living things inherited cell structure from early single-celled organisms on Earth
- Humans, whales, fish, and species evolved from a tiny cell about 4 billion years ago
- The family of living things is much greater than we could have imagined, connecting us not only to close relatives such as whales and other mammals, but also to fish, worms, plants, bacteria, and all other life on Earth
- All life shares a common evolutionary history
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