Which of the following statements provides the best explanation for the presence of very small hind limb bones in whales?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: Which statement best explains why whales have very small hind limb bones?

Option 1: 'Whale hind limb bones develop as a result of shared ancestry with aquatic reptiles.' This is inaccurate because whales are mammals, not reptilian lineages, and their hind limbs are remnants from terrestrial mammal ancestors, not from aquatic reptiles.

Option 2: 'The hind limbs of whales represent an early step in the evolutionary progression from water to land.' This reflects a classic progressive-teleology view that implies a linear, goal-directed progression. Evolution is not a ladder with fixed steps, and whale hind limbs are not an active step toward land; they are vestigial features from ancestors that lived on land.

Option 3: 'Whale hind limb bones develop as a result of shared ancestry with terrestrial mammals.' This explanation aligns with evolutionary biology: whales descended from terrestrial, four-legged mammals; their hind limbs became vestigial as lineages adapted to an aquatic lifestyle, leaving only small pelvic and hind limb bones as remnants of that ancestry.

Option 4: 'Whale hind limb bones arise due to a deleterious mutation during development.' A deleterious mutation would not reliably produce structured vestigial bones; vestigial hind limbs reflect inherited developmental patterns from ancestral genomes and are not simply the result of a harmful mutation occurring in individuals.

Summary of reasoning: The most credible explanation is that these bones are vestiges from the whale’s terrestrial mammal ancestors, preserved due to shared ancestry rather than arising from reptiles, representing a non-progressive transformation rather than an active step to land, and not merely a deleterious developmental accident.

APBIO142-030 with labs 22.01 to 22.02 - Video Quiz

Which of the following statements provides the best explanation for the presence of very small hind limb bones in whales?

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