Question

Give one example of a reptile that is viviparous.

Answer 1

Hint: The reptiles that give birth to young ones are called viviparous. Most of the reptiles are oviparous. Class reptilia includes crawling and creeping types of organisms which bear scales on their body. Reptiles usually have two pairs of limbs with some exceptions like snakes.

Complete answer:
The example of a viviparous reptile is common Lizard which belongs to the class reptilia. It is a Eurasian lizard and most of the populations are viviparous.

Some of the features are given below:
- Reptiles can be oviparous (those who lay eggs) e.g. snakes, crocodiles, etc. Or they can be viviparous (giving birth to young ones) or ovoviviparous (giving birth to young ones but most of the fetal substance is obtained from egg rather than placenta).
- The lizard that can give birth to a young one i.e. which shows viviparity is Zootoca vivipara or also called common lizard. It is a Eurasian lizard and most of the populations are viviparous. The word Zootoca and vivipara means live birth. The name of the species is adapted from its ability to give birth to the young ones.
- They are also adapted for the cool climate. About three to ten young ones are produced in July. The firstborn gets surrounded by the egg membrane and later they break it and come out of the membrane after about a day.
- There is also a development of the placenta in Zootoca vivipara to facilitate pregnancy but there is no transportation of the nutrients from the placenta.

Note: The reproductive abilities of the females vary according to the environment. Also, the amount of the young ones produced varies with the color morphism, the property shown by Zootoca vivipara. The yellow females produced less offspring whereas the orange ones produced more than the yellow ones.