GENETICS AND EVOLUTION
EVOLUTION
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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the wings of a red-tailed hawk
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the hind limbs of a house cat
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the fins of sharks
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the wings of an ostrich
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Detailed explanation-1: -In certain flightless birds like the Kiwi and Ostrich, the wings are vestigial. The wisdom teeth, pinna and the tailbone are vestigial organs in humans.
Detailed explanation-2: -These unused structures without function are called vestigial structures. Other examples of vestigial structures are wings (which may have other functions) on flightless birds like the ostrich, leaves on some cacti, traces of pelvic bones in whales, and the sightless eyes of cave animals.
Detailed explanation-3: -The wings of ostriches, emus, and penguins are good examples of vestigial structures in birds. These birds in fact have wings, though they cannot use them to fly. This is because their ancestors had wings.
Detailed explanation-4: -These are known as vestigial structures: features that had a necessary function at one time for an organism’s ancestors, but are nowhere near as important for modern species. Wings on flightless birds are just one example. Vestiges aren’t always functionless.