OG15, SC Q67

The noun that is the subject of the sentence is "species." The word "family" is contained in a modifier, so it isn't the subject.

Imagine that the modifier were something different -- let's say "The 32 species of dolphins that come from Madagascar are closely related..." We wouldn't say that the verb should be "is" because of "Madagascar." It's clear that the sentence is talking about dolphin species, not Madagascar. The original problem from the OG has the exact same structure.


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It is plural in this case but it can be singular too. Consider this:
The 32 species make up this dolphin family, which is finally migrating to North Sea..