Analogous structures

This is a picture of fish. Fish fins are an example of an analogous structure. Analogous structures can be found in species such as bats, whales, fish, and penguins. All of these animals have a similar structure in their anatomy, their wings/fins/flippers. However, these animals are in no way related. This similarity is most likely because these animals live in similar environments. Analogous structures are structures that evolved independently but are used for similar purposes. These structures are examples of convergent evolution, where two different species evolve separately but do it for a similar purpose. In fish and whales, they evolved separately, but their fins/flippers are very similar (despite their size) because they are used for the same purpose.