Tossup
Description acceptable. A vestigial structure from this evolutionary process can reappear in a form of atavism caused by knockdown of BMP7 and PBX1. While undergoing this process, organisms retained a pair of stumps likely used for mating called pelvic girdles. Early in this evolutionary process, genera like Indohyus (“in-do-HIGH-uss”) and Pakicetus (“pak-ee-SEE-tuss”) developed involucrum (“in-vuh-LOO-krum”) bone patterns and dorsal eye sockets. During this process, adaptive radiation during the Miocene (“MY-uh-seen”) allowed a clade of toothed animals to develop echolocation. Early animals that underwent this process include the carnivorous Eocene (“EE-uh-seen”) rival genera Dorudon and Basilosaurus. The largest animals in Earth’s history evolved after mammals underwent this process. For 10 points, name this evolutionary process that involved mammals acquiring blowholes and increased lung capacity to adapt to a new environment. ■END■
ANSWER: mammals evolving to live in the water [accept equivalents like becoming aquatic or going from land to sea; accept answers indicating evolution into whales or cetaceans; prompt on abilities that promote an aquatic lifestyle such as swimming, diving, or breath-holding by asking “what lifestyle is facilitated by that ability?”; reject “breathing underwater” as cetaceans must still breathe air to survive (that’s what blowholes are for)]
<Biology>
= Average correct buzz position
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