Question

zygodactylus was an ancient animal that lived about 52,000,000 years ago. here are pictures of a zygodactylus fossil, a living chicken, and a living green basilisk.
which traits can you observe in the fossil of zygodactylus, the living chicken, and the living green basilisk? complete the table.
based on the table, which living animal shares more traits with zygodactylus?
chicken green basilisk

Explanation:

We count the number of traits each living animal (chicken and green basilisk) shares with Zygodactylus.

• For the chicken:
• A beak: shared.
• Forelimb wings that fold against its body: shared.
• Toes on its feet: shared.
• Walks on two legs: shared.
• A long tail: not shared (chicken has a short tail in typical appearance compared to the fossil's long - tail indication). So, there are 4 shared traits (assuming the "Forelimb wings..." is counted as one trait).
• For the green basilisk:
• A beak: not shared.
• Forelimb wings that fold against its body: not shared (basilisk has limbs that are more like lizard limbs, not wings).
• Toes on its feet: shared.
• Walks on two legs: not typically (basilisk usually runs on two legs for short bursts but is more quadrupedal in general, while the fossil and chicken are bipedal in a more sustained sense).
• A long tail: shared. So, there are 2 shared traits.

Answer:

chicken