Jul 29, 2021 — by
Natural Selections
, in Canton, NY
Jul 29, 2021 — Animals that resemble each other may not be closely related. Sometimes the setting shapes their bodies more than their ancestry. Manatees may look like whales or walruses, but that is only because they adapted to the marine environment in a similar way. Martha Foley and Curt stager talk about convergent evolution.
Skeletons of adult manatee and calf. Photo: Sklmsta, Creative Commons, some rights reserved
Martha Foley and Curt StagerWhy manatees are related to elephants, and whales are related to deer
Martha Foley: Let's talk a little bit more about manatees. Because they're mammals, and they're related to elephants. Are they not related to whales, and seals, and walruses? Who are also mammals that ended up in the ocean? And how come?