Approximately how long ago did the evolutionary divergence between New World and Old World vultures occur?
Answer
30 to 50 million years ago
Genetic and molecular analysis mapping the relationships between these avian groups indicates that the evolutionary paths of New World and Old World vultures split between 30 and 50 million years ago. This substantial timeframe underscores the independence of their lineages and demonstrates that their similarities are a result of parallel evolutionary pressure rather than recent shared ancestry.
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Vulture Evolution in Cartoons & Movies (2018) - YouTube
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