2006-07-19 09:27:52 · 11 answers · asked by ryanglaraga 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
No, they are not related - any more than they are related to humans, or to dogs.
It's just a common name, because the head it looks like a horse.
Did you know that the MALE seahorse holds the babies in a pouch and "gives birth" to them. True! Look it up.
I wonder how women feel about that.
:)
2006-07-19 09:31:08 · answer #1 · answered by American citizen and taxpayer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are Seahorses Related To Horses
2017-01-15 13:22:13 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As others have said, these two organisms are no more closely related than any fish is to any mammal. So, a human and a goldfish or a cat and a catfish are all related to about the same extent.
Now, genetically, ALL animals have many genes that are closely related. So, for example, genes which code for proteins involved in cell structure or metabolism or DNA replication or expression or cell interactions are similar in all organisms. I've read that about half of the genes in a human are found in very similar, related form in a banana. So, a horse and a sea horse are genetically related, just not very closely.
Hope this helps.
2006-07-19 10:44:33 · answer #3 · answered by hcbiochem 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. In fact, every gene a sea horse possesses is related to every gene a horse possesses (unless one or the other possesses some genetic modification performed by humans). This is a simple consequence of the fact that both share a common ancestor (roughly 500 million years ago), and the ways in which "novel" genes arise is by duplication and modification of existing genes.
Naturally, with a combined billion years of evolving in different directions, many (perhaps most) of the genes are substantially different from each other, and even the similar ones have undergone significant amounts of mutation. Futher, the similar ones are no more similar (statistically) than between any two other modern fish and modern mammal you might choose to compare.
2006-07-19 12:07:55 · answer #4 · answered by NonHomogenized 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A few. There are some genes shared by mammals and fish. But mostly what they have in common is a name.
2006-07-19 09:49:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No they do not have related genes with mammal horses, other than maybe very rudimentary genes that everyone/thing share.
2006-07-19 09:30:53 · answer #6 · answered by kethan_wererider 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no more than any other fish. They're just called seaHORSES because their head look a bit like a horse's head.
2006-07-19 09:31:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, the same gene you share with sea-idiots
2006-07-19 09:31:07 · answer #8 · answered by infidel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
probably not. they just have a square snout
2006-07-19 09:30:51 · answer #9 · answered by lexie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no
2006-07-19 09:31:38 · answer #10 · answered by oddsend03 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋