The whale shark has rows of teeth despite being a filter feeder. what’s the best explanation of this feature?

a. the whale sharks teeth are an example of vestigial structures, if an inherited feature is no longer needed but also not harmful, there’s no evolutionary pressure to get rid of it

b. the whale sharks teeth are an example of of analogue structures. teeth exist in almost every sea creature, and the whale would be at a defensive disadvantage without them.

c. the whale sharks teeth are an example of homologous structures. other mammals also have teeth, and different teeth in humans have different shapes to serve different functions.

d. the whale sharks teeth are an example of embryonic structures. the teeth buds develop early enough in embryogenesis that the whale shark is still born with teeth.

The correct answer is A The whale sharks teeth are an example of vestigial structures, if an inherited feature is no longer needed but also not harmful, there’s no evolutionary pressure to get rid of it

Explanation:

In biology, a vestigial structure refers to certain features such as organs or even behaviors that do not have a function or purpose in an organism but are still preserved usually because they do not represent a disadvantage for the organism. This occurs in the case of whale sharks teeth that despite being filter feeders, which means they feed on small organisms such as plankton they still have teeth, that they do not use for feeding or any other function, do not represent a harmful feature but might have a function in the past. Therefore, the best explanation for the teeth of whale sharks is that these are an example of vestigial structure, that was inherited but are not harmful and therefore they are still preserved as there is not an evolutionary pressure to get rid of them.

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