comparative anatomy
nounUK /kəmˈpær.ə.tɪv əˈnæt.ə.mi/
US /kəmˈper.ə.tɪv əˈnæt̬.ə.mi/
Comparative anatomy is the study of how the bodies of different animals are alike and different.
Scientists use comparative anatomy to see how a human arm and a bat wing are built in similar ways.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A school or university subject that teaches students to compare the body structures of different species.
She took a course in comparative anatomy during her first year of biology.
3. The branch of biology that uses body-structure comparisons to understand how species are related.
Comparative anatomy helped show that whales are mammals, not fish.
4. A method of research in which scientists examine and contrast the organs and skeletons of many animals.
His comparative anatomy of bird skulls revealed how beaks evolved.