How many of the following show vivipary? Pteropus, Camelus, Delphinus, Macropus, Ornithorhynchus, Neophron, Aptenodytes, Rattus, Equus

Options

A. 6
B. 5
C. 8
D. 9

Answer

To determine how many of the listed organisms show vivipary, we need to identify which of them give birth to live young instead of laying eggs. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

1. **Understanding Vivipary**: Vivipary refers to the reproductive method where an organism gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs. This is common in many mammals.

2. **Identifying Each Organism**:
- **Pteropus**: This is the flying fox, a type of bat. Bats are mammals and they give birth to live young. **(Viviparous)**
- **Camelus**: This is the camel. Camels are also mammals and give birth to live young. **(Viviparous)**
- **Delphinus**: This refers to the common dolphin. Dolphins are marine mammals that give birth to live young. **(Viviparous)**
- **Macropus**: This is the kangaroo. Kangaroos are marsupials, which also give birth to live young. **(Viviparous)**
- **Ornithorhynchus**: This is the platypus. The platypus is a monotreme, which lays eggs instead of giving birth to live young. **(Not Viviparous)**
- **Neophron**: This is a type of bird (the Egyptian vulture). Birds lay eggs, so they are oviparous. **(Not Viviparous)**
- **Aptenodytes**: This is the penguin. Penguins are also birds and lay eggs. **(Not Viviparous)**
- **Rattus**: This is the rat. Rats are mammals and give birth to live young. **(Viviparous)**
- **Equus**: This refers to horses. Horses are mammals and they give birth to live young. **(Viviparous)**

3. **Counting the Viviparous Organisms**:
- The organisms that show vivipary are: Pteropus, Camelus, Delphinus, Macropus, Rattus, and Equus.
- This gives us a total of **6 organisms** that are viviparous.

**Final Answer**: 6 organisms show vivipary.

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