Dr. Digger, a paleontologist, finds a fossil that he describes in his journal. The creature was approximately 1 meter long, with its backbone fused into a large shell covering the body cavity. It had a beaklike mouth, without teeth, and all four limbs were in the form of flippers. Based on anatomical similarities, to which modern animal is Dr. Digger’s creature most closely related?
The large shell and beaklike, toothless mouth are characteristic of turtles. Its four flipper-shaped limbs suggest it lived in water, like a sea turtle. A zebra, bony fish, or snake does not share this combination of turtle-like features, so the closest modern animal is the sea turtle.
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