Comparison Anatomy
Students color analagous structures between a rat and an elephant, then answer questions regarding it.
Students color analagous structures between a rat and an elephant, then answer questions regarding it.

On the diagrams below, color each of the same bones in the rat and the elephant skeleton the SAME color. DO NOT reuse a color for another type of bone.
(click on "edit background" and then color choices are the very top option on the left side)

Were the bones with the same name in similar places on both the elephant and rat skeleton? Explain.
Did either the rat or elephant skeleton seem to have extra bones? Explain.
Similar structures in the anatomy of two different species are called homologies. What homologies are shared by rats and elephants?
What features would you look for in a fossil to determine if the now-extinct organism was related to a rat and an elephant?
How can patterns be used to identify common ancestry?