The presence of pharyngeal (gill) pouches in the embryos of fish, birds and humans alike is evidence drawn from

Explanation

Early vertebrate embryos resemble one another far more than the adults do, and structures such as pharyngeal pouches and a post anal tail appear even in species that never use them, because development follows an inherited common programme. In humans the pouches go on to form parts of the ear, tonsil and parathyroid rather than gills. Adult anatomy, fossils and distribution are separate lines of evidence.