Clades

[Simpo Two]

Super Sonic said:

Clade is nothing to do with similar characteristics, it's all about common ancestors.

Well, me and my cat - currently on my lap - are a clade. We have common ancestors.

I'm not sure how that advances the cause of science though.

[Silvanus]

Simpo Two said:

Super Sonic said:

Clade is nothing to do with similar characteristics, it's all about common ancestors.

Well, me and my cat - currently on my lap - are a clade. We have common ancestors.

I'm not sure how that advances the cause of science though.

Every single animal can eventually be traced back to a single ancestor, clades can be any size depending what it's being used for/grouped but you have to go a hell of a long way back for you and your cat to have a common ancestor.

Looking at primates, the picture below shows a large primate clade. If you start at the tip of the branch, chimpanzees and humans are in a clade together, but chimpanzees and gorilla are not. It's no untill you go further down that branch to the common ancestor of all African great apes that humans, chimps and gorillas become the same clade.