Phylogenetic tree

A phylogenetic tree is a kind of picture that tells us how different species are related to each other. Imagine a big tree with lots of branches. Each branch of the tree is like a family tree. Just like family trees have people on them, a phylogenetic tree has different species on it. Some of them might be similar and related, while others may look very different. Each branch of the tree is a line of evolution and tells us that the two species on the branch were likely related in the past. It's like a map of the evolution of species.