Question

Distinguish between analogous organs and homologous organs. Identify the analogous and homologous organs amongst the following:
Wings of an insect, wings of a bat, forelimbs of frogs, forelimbs of humans.

Answer 1

Analogous organs are those organs that do not have the same origin but their function is the same. The origin of homologous organs is the same but their functions are different.

Complete answer:

Serial Number	Analogous organs	Homologous Organs
1.	Analogous structures have different embryonic origins.	Homologous structures have a similar embryonic origin.
2.	Analogous structures have similar functions.	Homologous structures have the same origin but have different functions.
3.	They have different internal shapes and forms.	They have similar internal shapes and forms.
4.	Unrelated organisms have analogous organs.	Related organisms developed homologous organs.
5.	They have a dissimilar development pattern.	They have the same development pattern.
6.	They show convergent evolution.	They show divergent evolution.
7.	Analogous organs have different stages involved in its formation.	Homologous organs have the same stages in their formation.
8.	The wings of a bird and butterflies have the same function but different origin. So these are analogous to each other.	The bones in the human arms and the bones in the front flipper of a whale have the same origin but different functions. So these are homologous to each other.

In the above-given options, forelimbs of frogs and forelimbs of humans are homologous to each other. Wings of insects and wings of a bat are analogous to each other.

Note: The wings of insects and wings of bats are much different in structure, but both are used for flying, so these are termed as analogous. The forelimbs of humans and the forelimbs of frogs are made from the same designs of bones and have the same origin, while they perform different functions, so these are homologous to each other.