Phylogenies Part 2

Based on the data for characters 1, 2, and 3, the evolutionary relationships among cats, hyenas, and civets cannot be resolved. This is because none of the taxa share traits 1 and 3, and too many of the taxa share trait 2. There needs to be more of a discrepancy between the taxa for a certain trait or traits that allows their relations to be hypothesized. Of the remaining nine traits, 4 and 7 are the only useful ones in reconstructing a phylogeny between these three taxa. This is because these allow the cat and the hyena to be put into a hypothesized relation as opposed to the civet. Traits 5, 6, 10, 11, and 12 are not useful because none of the taxa share them. Trait 8 is not useful because only the cat has it, so the other taxa cannot be compared alongside it. Trait 9 is not useful because all of the taxa in the carnivoran group have this trait, so it does not help distinguish them from each other.