Sperm whales have vestigial hip bones, and a small percentage of sperm whales also

have vestigial hind limbs. Which of the following statements best explains the presence

of these vestigial structures in sperm whales?

A. Sperm whales evolved from ancestors that walked on land.

B. Sperm whales are in the process of evolving into land mammals.

C. These structures are acquired by each individual sperm whale during its lifetime.

D. These structures resulted from sperm whales having a long period of embryonic

development

Question

Dominik Shannon

Biology

2 August, 14:00

Sperm whales have vestigial hip bones, and a small percentage of sperm whales also

have vestigial hind limbs. Which of the following statements best explains the presence

of these vestigial structures in sperm whales?

A. Sperm whales evolved from ancestors that walked on land.

B. Sperm whales are in the process of evolving into land mammals.

C. These structures are acquired by each individual sperm whale during its lifetime.

D. These structures resulted from sperm whales having a long period of embryonic

development

+1

Answers (2)

Know the Answer?

Lauren Preston · Answer 1

A they evolved

Miriam David · Answer 2

Sperm whales evolved from ancestors that walked on land.

Explanation:

A vestigial structure is a body part that is present in an organism, but serves no function due to evolution over time. An example of a vestigial structure would be a human's tail bone.

Sperm whales contain vestigial hip bones, meaning that the organisms once had legs. Therefore, the answer that is the most accurate is that sperm whales evolved from ancestors that walked on land.