Myotragus of the island of Majorca ("Myotragus pepgonellae") indicate that "Myotragus balearicus", in spite of being a browsing animal, descended originally from grazers. The closest related species to "Myotragus" are ovine, such as the extinct "Nesogoral" of the Plio-Pleistocene of Sardinia, the old "Gallogoral" of France (possible mainland ancestor of both "Myotragus" and "Nesogoral"), "Ovis" (present sheep and mouflon) and the mountain goats of Central Asia. The last ancestor common to "Myotragus" and "Nesogoral" arrived at Majorca and Sardinia around 6 million years ago, a time at which the Straits of Gibraltar were closed and the Mediterranean Sea was a small
Animal testing medical achievement in the 20th century relied on the use of animals in some way. The Institute for Laboratory Animal Research of the United States National Academy of Sciences has argued that animal research cannot be replaced by even sophisticated computer models, which are unable to deal with the extremely complex interactions between molecules, cells, tissues, organs, organisms and the environment. Animal rights organizations—such as PETA and BUAV—question the need for and legitimacy of animal testing, arguing that it is cruel and poorly regulated, that medical progress is actually held back by misleading animal models that cannot reliably predict effects