I'm researching the topic of extreme size differences between closely related animal species.
While wide variance within genera are better known (with Varanus being one of the most famous cases -the largest being 5000x heavier than the lightest), this difference is usually way smaller between the closest known relatives (in that example, just around 7-10x).
Could you share with me the largest size differences between sister animaal species that you know? If possible, for species which have been checked through molecular phylogenetics and also preferably considering weight over length (a more universal measure regardless of body shape).
Thanks!
The extinct Haast's eagle (Hieraaetus moorei) was the largest eagle known to have existed, with an estimated weight of 15 kilograms (33 lb). It is sister to the Little Eagle (H. morphnoides) weighing 815 g (1.8 lb).
The sister-relationship is documented in two studies:
Bunce, M, Szulkin, M, Lerner, HR, Barnes, I, Shapiro, B, Cooper, A & Holdaway RN 2005. Ancient DNA provides new insights into the evolutionary history of New Zealand's extinct giant eagle. PLoS Biol. 3(1): e9 (pp. 44-46).
Catanach, TA, Halley, MR & Pirro, S 2023. Enigmas no longer: using Ultraconserved Elements to place several unusual hawk taxa and address the non-monophyly of the genus Accipiter (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae). bioRxiv, https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.13.548898.
George Sangster impressive size difference, and well documented too. Thanks a lot!
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