Big Cats
1. A.) The Lion and Tiger both come from the Felidae family and are the largest of this species in the world. Both "big cats" possess a much, much larger size than any other species within the same family. This size is outstanding compared to other members of the same family, such as, the Lynx or domestic house cat.
B.) The homologus trait of these two species would be their massive size and weight with both weighing, on average, between 400-500 lbs. The Lion and Tiger do share differences in structures because the largest tiger, the Siberian tiger, may sometimes outweigh the lion. Their structure while both very similar also differentiate at the same time because of their bone structure. These species exhibit differences because while the tiger does hunt, the lion's size has adapted to fierce and rapid hunting in the deserts of South Africa. A smaller size accounts for faster and more efficient movement.
C.) Generally, the ancestor of these two species comes from a common Panthera ancestor which was believed to be the largest of the Felidae family almost 30 million years ago.
Little Cats
2. A.) The domesticated cat and the Bobcat are also a part of the Felidae family but are very much smaller in size. The cat and Bobcat both share many similarities and differences.
B.) The analogous trait of each species would be the tail because while they both possess a tail, the tail of the Bobcat is much shorter. The similarities in structure are that they are both tails, however, for the domesticated cat, the long tail helps with balance and precision. The tail of the Bobcat is almost non-existent and has been shortened over thousands of years of habitat adaptation and stress through environment.
C. ) The common ancestor of these two species, the Eurasian Lynx and others, did possess a tail. Species as far back as the Sabre Tooth Tiger, possessed a tail, while not very large but still existent. From the beginning, the ancestor of the Felidae family must have possessed a tail in order for them to existent on all species and subspecies today.
Body size is not necessarily adaptive to an environment but a result of the diet and food availability, so I'm cautious about your focus on body size between the big cats, particularly when you used phrases like "may sometimes outweigh"... that isn't definitive evidence of an ancestral genetic trait. That sounds like environmental influences and normal intra-specific variation.
ReplyDeleteA trait that would have been easier to make a case for is the coat color. Similar origin of the short-haired coat from the sandy color originating from the ancient ancestor, the tiger has obviously made some changes to better fit his environment while the lion has kept his because it already fits. Common origin, different environmental pressures, different structure = homologs.
Analogous traits are similar due to similar environmental pressures but not common origin. This does not describe the bobcat and the domesticated cat, who inherited their tails from a common ancestor but who have different structures due to different environmental pressures. These are, in fact, more like homologs.
Make sure you review the concepts and read other student posts to understand the key points of the assignment. Email with specific questions.