Nattanit

Nam Trakullapphan (Advanced Biology 12A)

Phylogenetic tree

List of organisms:
List of the characteristics presented
Elephant
Giving birth to live young
Flying squirrel
Pouch
Kangaroo
Prolonged development in the womb
Sugar glider
Vertebrate
Platypus
Warm-blooded
Rat snake

As seen in the phylogenic tree above, 5 characteristics listed above had divided 6
species, as well, listed above into different species. Some animals share the same traits, in
which are beneficial them in some ways, but some are completely different in visual
structures. However, they all share a common characteristicthey are all vertebrate.
Even though they are vertebrate in common, rat snakes are not warm-blooded, but
others for the reason that rat snakes are not mammals. While sugar gliders, kangaroos,
flying squirrels, elephants, and platypuses can regulate their body temperature as the
external temperature alters, rat snakes have to find a place where it has a suitable
temperature for them. This characteristic differ rat snakes and other mammals.

Nattanit Nam Trakullapphan (Advanced Biology 12A)

If, according to the diagram, considering a characteristic of giving birth to live young,
platypus is more related to rat snakes. If the phylogenic tree were viewed as a ladder,
vertebrate would be the first step that rat snakes were placed here, and warm-blooded
would be the second that platypuses were at whereas other animals are marked at higher
level, which is a characteristic that animals gives birth to live young. Since platypuses do not
give birth to live offspring, but lay eggs, they are more similar to rat snakes that lay eggs
either. Also, platypuses do not have nipples as others do. Instead, they have pores in their
skin that can secrete milk through.
Unlike platypus and rat snake, sugar glider, kangaroo, flying squirrel, and elephant are
more related to each other as they all give birth to their live youngs, meaning they do not
lay eggs. Also, they can be further divided into two subdivisions: giving birth when baby is
fully developed, and giving birth when baby is partial, not completely, developed. Animals
that gives birth when their baby is fully developed, such elephants and platypuses, have to
carry their baby in their womb for longer time than animals like kangaroo and sugar glider.
Sugar glider and kangaroo give birth to their baby before its fully development, they are
marsupial, having a pouch to carry their baby to protect it until completely developed. Thus,
Kangaroo is more related to sugar glider, as well as flying squirrel to elephant.
Whats more, sugar glider seems to be closer to flying squirrel than to kangaroo or flying
squirrel does to sugar glider than to elephant, at first, because of its body size, shape and
structure. They both have legs webbing that allow them to glide from a tree to another. It is
not that they are the same species, but only their habitat is similar. They both live in forest;
therefore, for their benefit, this characteristic is provided.
To sum up, sugar glider is farthest related to rat snake, but closer to kangaroo, flying
squirrel, and elephant whereas rat snake is more related to platypus.