Molecular analyses suggest that the major lineages of animals diverged hundreds of millions of years before their first known appearances in the fossil record.Some scientists propose that the reason for this discrepancy is that the earliest animals were small and larval-like,leaving no trace in the fossil record.Generate an alternative hypothesis that explains this discrepancy,and suggest how the two hypotheses could plausibly be tested.

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The Answer of Molecular analyses suggest that the major lineages of animals diverged hundreds of millions of years before their first known appearances in the fossil record.Some scientists propose that the reason for this discrepancy is that the earliest animals were small and larval-like,leaving no trace in the fossil record.Generate an alternative hypothesis that explains this discrepancy,and suggest how the two hypotheses could plausibly be tested.

Molecular Analyses Suggest That the Major Lineages of Animals Diverged