Homology/Analogy Blog Post

1a.) The two different species that share a homologous trait is the human and the dog. The human is, as of now, the most intelligent life form to date. Humans are classified in the genus known as Primate, falling in the same category as orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees. The species is formally known as Homo Sapiens. The dog is in the order called Canis. They are the most abundant terrestrial carnivore, and are closely related to wolves.

1b.) Both humans and dogs live very different lifestyles and look very different. But the human arm and the leg of a dog are similar in structure, creating a homologous trait. The humerus, radius, ulna, and carpals are almost the same, structure wise, except the sizes and the curves of the bones are different in both species. But the alignment differs when it comes to the metacarpals and the phalanges. The arm of a human is primarily used to do work, such as grabbing an item or lifting something. So, the metacarpals align exactly with the carpal, and the phalanges are attached, one to each meta carpal. This gives us five fingers on a hand, which connects to the arm, allowing us to easily hold things by wrapping our fingers around it. The leg of a dog is used to give support to hold up the dog's body and do actions such as walking to get the dog from one place to another. The actual paw of the dog is like a claw, so the metacarpals are aligned upright and the phalanges are kind of curved downward. This makes the paw look similar to a claw, so when a dog is, say, playing with a toy, they use the claw to sort of "grab the toy and put the toy in their mouth. Essentially, the leg of a dog functions not only as something to give support to the rest of the body, but also as a small hand.

1c.) The common ancestor is said to be a small, shrew-like mammal found in the Gobi desert. This animal is said to have lived about 70 million years ago, according to the Scientific American. The animal is said to have a similar structure to the dog, but with a really long tail. The leg of the animal must have given way to the leg of the dog and the arm of a human. The paws of the animal must have given way to the hand of a human and the paw of a dog.

1d.) 







2a.) The two different species that share an analogous trait is the hummingbird and the fly. The hummingbird, also known by its scientific name Trochilidae, are one of the smallest birds known. They are the only birds which can fly backward, and have the largest brain for their size. These birds are native to the Americas. The fly, also known as Diptera, are a type of insect. They are very small and have a life span of 28 days. 

2b.) The analogous trait these two species share is the wing of the hummingbird versus the wing of a fly. Both are pretty similar in structure, but that is about it in the similarities. Hummingbirds have a multitude of feathers on their wings because it gives the needed heat that these birds need to survive, since almost all of their lives they are in flight. The feathers also make flying easier and more smoother, which is needed since they fly so much. But flies have a set of wings on each side. This is to increase the wing surface. Although flies do fly a lot, they are known as being an annoyance, and get swatted by humans and other animals, and the 2 wings on each side helps the fly take short and/or sharp turns away to avoid getting hurt. 

2c.) The common ancestor did posses a wing of some sort. Their common ancestor is said to be a dinosaur which could fly, perhaps the pterodactyl. This is because during the time period the pterodactyl lived, flying was a helpful way for them to quickly feed off of the animals on ground, by swooping down with their huge wings and swiftly picking up their food sources. These animals can also fly very long distances, which is a big similarity between hummingbirds and flies which could come from the pterodactyl. 

2d.)