12 Animal Groups That Surprised Us When We Learned They’re Related

Although we have some similarities, evidence of the filial bond, with our closest family members such as brothers, cousins ​​or uncles, there are also cases in which the exact opposite happens. Relatives are so different and if the proximity is not clarified, it is very difficult to perceive it. In the animal world, this situation is also very recurrent, as there are certain ties and kinship between animals that, if they weren’t explained to us, it would be very difficult to believe.

we, from awesome.club, we gathered some groups of animals that neither they nor we had any idea how much they have in common (and would certainly be surprised to find out). Check out!

You see, apart from the clear hump difference between them, they have a few things in common. For example, both are herbivores and can support large amounts of weight: camels often carry people, and llamas are not far behind, as they can carry a load of more than 25-30% of their body weight. This is too much!

Of course, your strength is not just due to exercise. Genetics contributed to these animals, as they both belong to the same family: camelids.

In addition to the insect bites being as unpleasant an experience as the swelling caused, and the fact that they both like plants, they also share a common past. Yes, ants are ancestors of the vespoid wasps, from which they evolved. How will they receive the news when they find out? Perhaps it is as dramatic as in a soap opera, but starring insects.

For many people it must be as bad to find a tick on their pet as a scorpion on the floor of the house. Although it doesn’t look like it, these two insects are related, as they are considered arachnids, like spiders. Belonging to the same class explains why it’s not pleasant to run into them!

Perhaps it is possible to understand the association between the emu and the ostrich, but what about the penguin? Let’s not judge it, since, although it doesn’t look like it, it’s a bird. However, it is not one of those we can see flying, but a non-flying one, like rheas and ostriches.

It is believed that at some point in evolution these animals stopped flying, but certainly like other non-flying birds, they live very well in their natural habitat and do not even question the reason for not being able to fly.

The kinship may not be noticeable at a glance, but they have a few things in common. For example, the ampullae of Lorenzini and organs that serve to detect the electrical discharges of their prey. Sounds like a superpower, doesn’t it? It must be a family thing.

Don’t be fooled by their long snout, as the ring-tailed coati is related to the raccoon, and if you look closely at them, you can spot the similarities. Both have long, striped tails, and the coati has patches near the eyes that, while not looking like a friendly mask like raccoons, undoubtedly betray a resemblance.

When looking at a tapir, we could associate it with an anteater, a pig or many animals with trunks, but not a horse. Yes, you read that right! Horses are distantly related to tapirs, although they never carry people and are smaller.

Both belong to the same animal order, the perissodactyls, and are characterized by having an odd number of toes ending in hooves. In addition, they have a more developed central finger, which serves as support. So you know, the next time you see an animal, take a good look at its paws. Maybe you’ve run into a perissodactyl and missed it.

Do they look alike physically? Not. They are relatives? Yes, indeed they are. We don’t know how our rhino friends, who are characterized by their large size, will receive the news, but they are close living relatives of tapirs, of medium height. The two belong to the same phylum (category): the chordates.

If not even we knew about the existence of this mammal called okapi, it is likely that giraffes are also not aware of this information. In addition, these animals are known for being extremely shy, to the point of complicating the work of researchers. Although they are not even half the size of a giraffe’s long neck, they are their closest living relatives.

If this information were not enough for giraffes, both they and okapis belong to the same phylum as rhinos and tapirs. Exactly: they are all roped!

Both are chubby, giants and love the water. Although they can get along with everything they have in common, they probably don’t know each other, because while one has fins and lives in the water, the other has paws and prefers swamps.

In any case, they are related and it was proven that they had semiaquatic ancestors in common, giving rise, later, to other species such as those known today: cetaceans on the part of whales, and hippopotamidon the side of the hippos.

Fortunately, for those who can’t get enough of photographs of beautiful koalas, they have a relative who is not far behind in terms of beauty. These are wombats, and while they are also herbivores, they are not so exclusive with their food. So, it is very likely that they would not get along very well with koalas at a family dinner, as they prefer to eat eucalyptus instead of herbs and roots.

If you look closely at them, you can find the resemblance… That’s right, they don’t look alike at all, but they are related! In fact, all reptiles belonging to the order crocodylia (such as the crocodile and alligators) are related to all birds, as they share a common ancestor: the archosaurs🇧🇷 At what point did this family diversify and its members begin to treat each other as prey and predators? We don’t know, but it certainly must have been a very interesting drama.

Do you know other animal species that belong to the same family? Do you believe that if these creatures crossed with their relatives they would get along well with them? Comment!