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Not actually. There were several different marine reptiles that had mammalian characteristics, notably the group known as pelycosaurs. The earliest mammals appeared early in the Age of Reptiles (Mesozoic Era), but were uniformly small in size. The group called synapsids took an evolutionary path to mammals while the sauropsids became today's reptiles and birds.
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What are the kingdom schemes and examples of each?
The three main kingdom schemes are Monophyletic (includes all descendants from a common ancestor, like Mammals), Paraphyletic (includes the common ancestor but not all descendants, like Reptiles), and Polyphyletic (does not include the common ancestor, like Invertebrates). Each scheme groups organisms based on evolutionary relationships.
Are fish monophyletic?
No, fish are not monophyletic. The term "fish" is a paraphyletic group because it includes some but not all descendants of a common ancestor. It does not include tetrapods (four-limbed vertebrates such as amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) which share a more recent common ancestor with some fish species.
Is a hippo an ancestor of the whale?
Yes, hippos and whales share a common ancestor but are not direct ancestors of each other. They both belong to the same group of mammals called Cetartiodactyla. However, whales evolved from a different branch within this group than hippos did.
What does monophyletic group consist of?
A group of species that consists of a common ancestor and all of its descendants (also referred to as a clade).
What supports the scientific theory that all species share a common ancestor?
Evolution.
