Humans and African apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas) share traits, such as elongated skulls and shortened canine teeth, which other related species do not have. These shared characteristics are called
A) homoplasies.
B) synapomorphies.
C) cladistics.
D) parsimonies.
E) None of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Synapomorphies are shared characteristics between species that are inherited from a common ancestor. In this case, humans and African apes share elongated skulls and shortened canine teeth as synapomorphies, indicating a close evolutionary relationship. Homoplasies, on the other hand, are shared characteristics that have evolved independently in unrelated species, while cladistics and parsimonies are methods used in evolutionary analysis.

Humans and African Apes (Chimpanzees, Bonobos, and Gorillas) Share Traits