Question

Which of the following is viviparous?
A. Flightless birds
B. Whales
C. Bats
D. Both B and C

Answer 1

Hint: Fertilisation is the phenomenon, part of the life process – reproduction in which female and male gametes combine to form a structure referred to as a zygote which eventually develops into the foetus. The animal kingdom has species that undergo the process of fertilisation in two methods – one where fertilisation occurs externally, where the sperm-egg fusion takes place outside the female body called external fertilisation and the other is where the sperm-egg fusion takes place inside the female body, this is called internal fertilisation. Based on this, animals are divided into viviparous and oviparous animals.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Animals that give birth to offspring are called viviparous. In viviparous animals, both the development of the embryo and fertilisation takes place inside the female reproductive system. When the foetal development is completed, the mother delivers the baby. This condition is called matrotrophy in which the embryo acquires the nutrients directly from the mother and not from the yolk. Examples of Viviparous animals are elephants, cats, dogs, human beings, etc. Mammals are viviparous because they give birth to living young ones with some exceptions. The whale is an aquatic mammal, although bats are flying mammals. Both produce young ones and therefore, are viviparous. Birds of all kinds lay eggs, i.e., they are oviparous.
Hence the correct answer is D.

Note: Viviparous animals are those where the development of the embryo and fertilisation takes place within the individual. Viviparous animals vary from egg-laying animals, such as most reptiles and birds. Viviparous organisms are mostly vertebrates that are amphibians,fishes, mammals, and reptiles.