comparative anatomy

Study of the similarity and differences in the anatomy of different groups of animals. It helps to reveal how animals are related to each other and how they have changed through evolution.

Structures are homologous if they have arisen from the same ancestral structure through evolution, but perform either similar or different functions in modern animals. Examples of homologous structures are the wings of birds, the human arm, and the forelimb of whales.

Analogous structures have developed from different ancestral structures, but perform similar functions, such as the wings of insects and those of birds.