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5.1 Reptilia — Test 1
Q1. The only venomous lizards in the world (found in the Americas) belong to the genus:✓ Heloderma
Q2. Sphenodon (the tuatara), a living fossil, is found exclusively in:✓ New Zealand
Q3. Sphenodon belongs to the order:✓ Rhynchocephalia
Q4. Which group of animals are amniotes?✓ Reptiles, birds and mammals
Q5. The amniotic egg was a major evolutionary advance because it allowed reptiles to:✓ Reproduce on dry land, away from water
Q6. Crocodiles are unique among reptiles in having a heart that is:✓ Completely four-chambered
Q7. Solenoglyphous fangs, which can be folded back, are found in:✓ Vipers
Q8. The poison glands of venomous snakes are modified:✓ Salivary (parotid) glands
Q9. Temperature-dependent sex determination is well known in:✓ Turtles and crocodilians
Q10. The organ of Jacobson in snakes and lizards is a:✓ Chemoreceptor (smell/taste organ)
Q11. Reptiles are covered with dry, scaly skin made largely of:✓ Keratin
Q12. The main excretory product of most reptiles (which conserves water) is:✓ Uric acid
Q13. The skull of turtles and tortoises is of the type:✓ Anapsid (no temporal openings)
Q14. Snakes and lizards are placed in the reptilian order:✓ Squamata
Q15. Mammal-like reptiles, ancestral to mammals, are placed in the subclass:✓ Synapsida
5.1 Reptilia — Test 2
Q16. Snakes detect ground vibrations and faint sounds despite lacking:✓ An external ear and eardrum
Q17. Pit vipers can detect warm-blooded prey in the dark using:✓ Heat-sensitive pit organs
Q18. The non-venomous nature of a snake can often be indicated by:✓ A cylindrical body with small, similar head scales and round pupils
Q19. Crocodiles, alligators and the gharial belong to the reptilian order:✓ Crocodilia
Q20. The gharial, an Indian crocodilian, is distinguished by its:✓ Long, very narrow snout
Q21. The amniotic egg of reptiles contains extra-embryonic membranes including the amnion, chorion, yolk sac and:✓ Allantois
Q22. Reptiles are ectothermic (cold-blooded), so they often:✓ Bask in the sun to raise their body temperature
Q23. Cobras and kraits have fixed, erect front fangs and are described as:✓ Proteroglyphous
Q24. Reptiles were the first vertebrates to be fully independent of water for reproduction because of the:✓ Shelled amniotic egg and dry skin
Q25. The Gila monster and beaded lizard are notable because they are the only lizards that:✓ Are venomous
Q26. The pineal (parietal) 'third eye' is especially well developed in:✓ Sphenodon (tuatara)
Q27. The shell of a turtle is made up of the:✓ Fused bony plates (carapace and plastron)
Q28. Reptiles improved on amphibians mainly by evolving:✓ Dry skin and an amniotic egg for life on land
Q29. Most reptiles practise internal fertilisation, which is necessary because:✓ Their eggs are fertilised before the shell forms
Q30. Dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodilians and birds are all grouped together as:✓ Archosaurs (diapsid reptiles and their descendants)