Sophie says dolphins and sharks look very similar, so they must be related. Jake disagrees, saying DNA evidence has shown that dolphins and other aquatic mammals are actually more closely related to the ancestors of modern hippos. Who is correct using the modern system of classification?
Answer
A
Sophie is correct because dolphins look more like sharks than like hippos.
B
Jake is correct because classification is based on evolutionary relationships.
C
Both are correct because traditional and modern classifications can overlap.
D
Neither is correct because neither is taking into account both the traditional and modern systems
Explanation
Jake is correct. Modern classification groups organisms according to evolutionary relationships, which are inferred from evidence such as DNA, rather than just how similar they look. Dolphins are mammals and are more closely related to hippos than to sharks; their similar body shapes to sharks evolved independently as adaptations to life in water.
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