Sirenians (manatees and dugongs) are aquatic mammals that, like whales, lack hind limbs. Is lack of hindlimbs a homologous trait for sirenians and cetaceans?

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Tatyana Davis · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : No, the lack of hind limbs in sirenians (manatees and dugongs) and cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) is not a homologous trait but rather an example of convergent evolution. Homologous traits are characteristics that are shared by species due to common ancestry, whereas convergent evolution refers to the independent evolution of similar features in species of different lineages.

Sirenians (manatees and dugongs) are aquatic mammals that, like whales, lack hind limbs. Is lack of hindlimbs a homologous trait for sirenians and cetaceans?

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