The striking morphological resemblance between placental mammals and Australian marsupials (such as the placental wolf and Tasmanian wolf, or anteater and numbat) is an outcome of:

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Convergent evolution resulting from similar ecological niches

  1. Step 1: When two distinct evolutionary lineages inhabit geographically isolated regions with similar selective pressures and habitats, they independently evolve analogous adaptations.
  2. Step 2: Australian marsupials radiated to occupy niches identical to those of placental mammals in other continents.
  3. Step 3: The morphological similarity between placental mammals and marsupials (e.g., flying squirrel vs sugar glider, wolf vs Tasmanian wolf) is a textbook example of convergent evolution.
Answer
Convergent evolution resulting from similar ecological niches.
Why not the others: Divergent evolution refers to radiation from a single ancestor into diverse forms; Genetic drift causes random frequency changes, not detailed anatomical convergence; Artificial selection is human-driven breeding.

Practise more Evolution.

Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed NEET UG mock tests.

All Evolution questionsTake a mock test

More Evolution questions