Vestigial Structures Worksheet
Explore vestigial structures in various organisms and their significance in evolutionary biology.
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Vestigial Structures: Evidence of Evolution
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Read each question carefully and provide your best answer based on your understanding of vestigial structures and evolution.
1. Which of the following best defines a vestigial structure?
A structure that has evolved to perform a new function.
A fully functional structure that is essential for survival.
A structure that has lost all or most of its original function through evolution.
A structure found only in embryonic stages.
2. The human appendix is considered a vestigial structure. What was its likely original function in ancestral species?
Digestion of meat
Processing cellulose from plant matter
Immune system regulation
Blood filtration
3. The presence of vestigial structures provides strong evidence for the theory of .
4. The small, non-functional wings of flightless birds like ostriches are examples of structures.
5. In humans, the muscles, which allow some individuals to wiggle their ears, are considered vestigial.
6. Vestigial structures are always completely useless to the organism.
True
False
7. The pelvic bone in whales is a vestigial structure, suggesting their ancestors were land-dwelling.
True
False
8. Explain how vestigial structures provide evidence for common ancestry.
9. Describe two examples of vestigial structures in humans (other than the appendix) and discuss their presumed ancestral functions.