Can the wing of a butterfly and the wing of a bat be considered homologous organs? Why or why not?
ScienceClass 10CBSEAnswered 27 Mar 2026
Answer
Solution:
The wing of a butterfly and the wing of a bat cannot be considered homologous organs as they do not share a common ancestor. Even though both structures aid in flying, they have evolved separately. To prove this, the wings of a butterfly are composed of two chitinous membranes, whereas the wings of a bat are composed of a bony skeleton, complete with blood vessels. Hence, these aren’t homologous organs but rather analogous organs.
Suggested Q&A
Science · Class 10- ScienceClass 10While humans have chromosomal sex determination, some organisms exhibit environmental sex determination. Give an example of an organism where sex is determined by environmental factors and briefly explain how it works.
- ScienceClass 10In a dihybrid cross, if the F1 generation has genotype RrYy, what proportion of gametes produced by this F1 individual will carry the alleles 'RY'? Justify your answer based on Mendel's laws.
- ScienceClass 101. A Mendelian experiment consisted of breeding tall pea plants bearing violet flowers with short pea plants bearing white flowers. The progeny all bore violet flowers, but almost half of them were short. This suggests that the genetic makeup of the tall parent can be depicted as (a) TTWW (b) TTww (c) TtWW (d) TtWw
- ScienceClass 10In evolutionary terms, can we say which among bacteria, spiders, fish and chimpanzees have a ‘better’ body design? Why or why not?
- ScienceClass 10Why are human beings who look so different from each other in terms of size, colour and looks said to belong to the same species?
- ScienceClass 10What are fossils? What do they tell us about the process of evolution?
- ScienceClass 10Give an example of characteristics being used to determine how close two species are in evolutionary terms.
- ScienceClass 10Will geographical isolation be a major factor in the speciation of an organism that reproduces asexually? Why or why not?
- ScienceClass 10Will geographical isolation be a major factor in the speciation of a self-pollinating plant species? Why or why not?
- ScienceClass 10What factors could lead to the rise of a new species?