Question 446827

1.2 Command of Evidence - Quantitative evidence: reading tables and graphs
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Partial List of Candidate Species for De-extinction

Common nameScientific nameBecame extinct
HuiaHeteralocha acutirostris1907
Caribbean monk sealMonachus tropicalis1952
Passenger pigeonEctopistes migratorius1914
Saber-toothed Smilodon11,000 years before present
Woolly mammothMammuthus primigenius6,400 years before present

The passage of time is among the many obstacles faced by scientists who are pursuing de-extinction efforts—that is, efforts to use breeding or a mixture of cloning and genetic engineering to bring back extinct species. Specifically, researchers are concerned that the longer a species has been extinct, the less likely it is that a suitable habitat still exists for that species. Among candidate species for de-extinction, this problem would be especially concerning for the blank

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?

A.

passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), which became extinct only a few years after the huia (Heteralocha acutirostris).

B.

saber-toothed (Smilodon), which became extinct 11,000 years ago.

C.

woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), which became extinct several thousand years before the saber-toothed (Smilodon).

D.

Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis), which became extinct in 1952.