The top 10 Vestigial
Structures
10
The Wings on Flightless Birds
• The Cassowary, the sexier, but less-well-known flightless bird. Kiwi bird in Australia.
9
Hind Leg Bones in Whales
• Whale skeleton showing pelvis and thigh bones. Snake hind limbs.
8
Erector Pili and Body Hair
• When a rabbit is scared, its hair stands on end. When a human is scared, he or she calls the police.
7
The Human Tailbone (Coccyx)
• The human tailbone doesn't do much, but really hurts if you land on it.
6
The Blind Fish Astyanax Mexicanusand Blind Mole rat
• Astyanax Mexicanus: growing up in the wrong neighborhood.
5
Wisdom Teeth in Humans
• They need regular brushing but did they come from Apes?
4
The Sexual Organs of Dandelions
• Send in the clones ...
3
Fake reproduction in Virgin Whiptail Lizards (Vestigial Behavior)
• Feminist lizards take the male out of the picture.
2
Male Breast Tissue and Nipples
• They are not fully functional and, because cancer can grow in male or female breast tissue, the tissue can be dangerous.
1
The Human Appendix
• In 2000, in fact, there were nearly 300,000 appendectomies performed in the United States, and 371 deaths from appendicitis.
Analysis
1. Define vestigial.
2. How could vestigial structures be proofs for evolution?
3. Choose 2 of the structures mentioned and give an explanation for why they exist.
Answers
1. Vestigial: “remnant of” structure that is seemingly useless
2. Ancestors may have used that structure. Ex. Appendix was used to help digest high fiber foliage, but now we rarely eat roughage.
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