Week 5: Evidence in Evolutionary Biology Flashcards
what is a Coelacanth
group of lobe-finned fish often referred to as “living fossils” because they belong to a group of fish that is believed to have originated more than 360 million years ago during the Devonian period
who is Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer
Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was a South African museum curator and ichthyologist who is best known for her role in the discovery of the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish previously thought to be extinct.
What did Marjorie do with the fish when she first saw it?
A: Sketched the fish and took some measurements.
B: Asked the captain to have the fish delivered to the museum.
C: Took some pictures with a camera and collected a DNA sample.
D: Loaded the fish into the back of a taxicab.
D: Loaded the fish into the back of a taxicab.
When Marjorie showed the fish to the museum director, he:
A: Said it was just an ordinary rock cod.
B: Became excited and told her to find a fish expert to look at it.
C: Asked her to please remove that big dead fish before it began to smell.
A: Said it was just an ordinary rock cod.
The youngest coelacanth fossil found has been
dated to 70 million years ago. Why was there a gap of 70 million years in the coelacanth’s fossil record?
A: Coelacanths became extinct 70 million years ago, and then re-evolved in modern times.
B: Coelacanths may have become much rarer since 70 million years ago, and did not fossilize as often because there were fewer.
C: There are probably more fossils out there, they just haven’t been found yet.
D: Coelacanths are totally soft-bodied, and unlikely to fossilize.
C: There are probably more fossils out there, they just haven’t been found yet.
What’s the difference between a “transitional species” and a “missing link”? Is there any? If so, what is it?
In summary, the main difference between the two terms is that “transitional species” is a scientifically accepted concept used to describe organisms with intermediate characteristics, while “missing link” is a more casual and historical term that implies a gap in our understanding of evolutionary history.
