4.

Evidence of evolution on animal vertebrate

1 Embryology Similarity

Vertebrate embryos show many similarities, for which the most reasonable explanation is their
common ancestry.

Figure 1. The similarities and differences between different vertebrate embryos as they proceed
through development. They each begin with a basically similar structure, although they acquire
this structure at different ages and sizes. As they develop, they become less like each other.
(Adapted from Richardson et al. 1998; photograph courtesy of M. Richardson.)

2 Forelimb Morphology Similarity

Homologous structures are structures that are similar in related organisms because they were
inherited from a common ancestor.
3 Domestication
According to his line of thought, the relationship between behavioral variation and
transformation of domestic animals would become more intelligible when domestication would
be traced from the beginning (Trut, Oskina, & Kharlamova, 2009).
Figure 4. Representatives of different families and orders show the most specific
morphological markers of domestication, white spotting on the head (top row) and floppy ears
(bottom row): A: Horse (Equus caballus): breed Russian heavy draught horse. B: Cow (Bos
taurus), breed Aberdeen-Angus (top), banteng (bottom). C: Pig (Sus scrofa domestica): Order
breed Vietnamese hybrid (top), Landrace (bottom). D: Sheep (Ovis): breed Romanov (top),
balbas (bottom). E: Dog (Canis familiaris): breed Boston terrier (top), pug (bottom). F: Rabbit
(Oryctolagus cunticulus): breed Holland white-black (top), German ram (bottom).

4 Diversity as Evidences of Evolution

 Evolutionary theory explains that biological diversity results from the descendants of
local or migrant predecessors becoming adapted to their diverse environments. For example,
approximately 2,000 species of flies belonging to the genus Drosophila are now found
throughout the world (Team of National Academy of Science, 1999).
5 Rudimentary as Evidences of Evolution

Figure 3. Regressive evolution of hip bone and hind legs in ancestral (a: Ambulocetus
natans) and modern whales (b: Sperm Whale, Physeter macrocephalus). In the archaic whale
Ambulocetus, the sacrum (s) consisted of four fused vertebrae and there was a strong weight-
bearing joint between sacrum and hipbone (h). In the extinct whale Basilosaurus and the recent
Sperm Whale (Physeter), the sacrum consists of a single vertebra (v) and there is no contact
between hip bone and sacrum. In both, hip bone and femur (f) lie on the ventral side, far
removed from the spinal column. The rudimentary hind legs are no longer weight bearing
6. Fossil Evidences

Fossils are the preserved remains of the bodies of dead organisms or the remains of the
organism’s actions — things such as footprints or burrows.

The American paleontologist Othniel Marsh’s work on horses (1874) provided

quantitative evidence of the evolutionary development of the horse from Orohippus, the multi-
toed mountain horse of the Eocene, to single-toed Quaternary animals that closely resemble the
modern domestic horse (figure 2) (Gawne, 2015).

Figure 7. Image from Marsh’s 1874 paper on fossil horses of North America, depicting the
transition from a multitoed to single-toed condition. Courtesy of the Biodiversity Heritage
Library (www.biodiversitylibrary.org).

7.Homology Comparison
These similar structures are used differently by each species. For example, lizards, bats, and
manatees have forelimbs that have a similar bone structure. There is one short bone and one long
bone that go from a shoulder structure to a wrist structure. But obviously, a lizard, a bat, and a
manatee use this structure in different ways. This similarity in structure indicates that these
organisms shared a common ancestor.

Primates Evolution
1. Proto-primates (Plesiadapiformes)
The first primate-like mammals are referred to as proto-primates. The oldest known
primate-like mammal with a relatively robust fossil record is Plesiadapis (although some
researchers do not agree that Plesiadapis was a proto-primate). Fossils of this primate
have been dated to approximately 55 million years ago. Plesiadapiformes had some
features of the teeth and skeleton in common with true primates.

2. The First True Primates

The earliest primates date to the first part of the Cenozoic (65-54 m.y.a)
The Eocene (54-38 m.y.a) was the epoch of prosimians with a least 60 different
genera in two families.
- The omomyid family lived in North America, Europe, and Asia and may be
ancestral to all anthropoids.
- The adapid family was ancestral to lemur-loris line
3. Anthropoids
 Early Anthropoids
- During the Oligocene (38-23 m.y.a), anthropoids were the most numerous primates.
- The parapithecid family may be ancestral to the New world monkeys.
- The Propliopithecid family may be ancestral to the Old world monkeys.

 Miocene Anthropoids
- Miocene Period: 24 to 5.2 million years ago.
First hominid appeared in Africa where remains have been found dating 5 million
years ago.
- Early Miocene Period
Proconsul found in sites in East Africa
- Middle Miocene
Kenyapithecus (16-10 m.y.a) with molars resembling modern hominoids

- Late Miocene Apes

Movement to Europe and Asia due to warmer weather condition; migration from
Africa.
Sivaphitecus
- Sivaphitecus belongs to the ramapithecid genera along with
Gigantophitecus.
Gigantopithecus
- Gigantophitecus is the largest primate that ever lived, some standing
over 10 feet tall and weighing 1.200 pounds.
- Since it died out around 400.000 years ago, it coexisted with Homo
erectus.

A reconstruction of Gigantophitecus by Russel Ciochon and Bill Muns.

Dryophitecus
- Dryophitecus lived in Europe during the middle and late Miocene.
- This group probably includes the common ancestor of the lesser apes
(gibbons and siamangs) and the great apes.

Oreophitecus
- Oreophitecus bambolii lived between (9-7 m.y.a) and spent much of its
time standing upright and shuffling short distances.