Which animal is most closely related to the Right Whale?

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The Department of Geology

The School of Earth, Society, and Environment

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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Correct! The hippo has the fewest number of differences in its DNA sequence, making it the closest living relative to whales. Open the packet labeled '3' and check the contents. You should have 2 evolutionary trees But paleontologists were surprised that Hippos were the closest living relatives to whales because Hippos belong to a group of animals called Artiodactyls, which are not that closely related to Mesonychids. This resulted in two hypotheses about whale ancestry. Take a look at your two trees and decide how they differ. Does the DNA evidence support the paleontologist hypothesis or the molecular biologist hypothesis? Click here to Answer

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Contact Dr. Max Christie

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