Animal Kingdom (Porifera-Mammalia) – Practice Flashcards

A comprehensive set of 100 question-and-answer flashcards covering key terms, features, and examples from Porifera through Mammalia, aimed at NEET/Pre-medical zoology review.

At which organisational level are cells arranged as loose aggregates, as in sponges?

Cellular level of organisation

Which body plan has only one opening serving as both mouth and anus?

Blind sac type

In which circulatory system type is blood pumped out of the heart and bathes tissues directly?

Open circulatory system

What term describes animals that cannot be divided into equal halves on any plane, e.g., most sponges?

Asymmetry

Animals with ectoderm and endoderm only are called .

Diploblastic

What name is given to animals that lack a body cavity?

Acoelomates

Serial repetition of body segments, as seen in earthworms, is known as .

Metamerism

Presence of a dorsal mesodermal rod during development defines which major group?

Chordates (presence of notochord)

Which phylum is characterised by a water canal system with ostia and osculum?

Porifera

Name the flagellated cells lining spongocoel that drive water current in sponges.

Choanocytes (collar cells)

What is the common name of Spongilla?

Fresh-water sponge

Through which opening does water exit a sponge’s body?

Osculum

Sycon reproduces sexually by internal fertilisation that is typically .

Cross and internal (protogynous)

Stinging cells (nematocysts) are contained in specialised cells called .

Cnidoblasts or cnidocytes

Which two basic body forms occur in Cnidaria, exhibiting metagenesis?

Polyp and medusa

The gastrovascular cavity of a cnidarian is also called the .

Coelenteron

Portuguese man-of-war belongs to which phylum and genus?

Phylum Cnidaria, genus Physalia

Which phylum of ‘comb jellies’ has eight rows of ciliated plates for locomotion?

Ctenophora

Bioluminescence is a prominent feature of which phylum?

Ctenophora

What are the food-capturing adhesive cells on ctenophore tentacles called?

Colloblasts (lasso cells)

Flatworms are dorsoventrally flattened members of which phylum?

Platyhelminthes

Which Platyhelminthes parasite lacks both mouth and anus and absorbs food through its body surface?

Taenia (tapeworm)

Name the excretory/osmoregulatory cells of flatworms.

Flame cells (protonephridia)

Planaria is famous for possessing a remarkable ability for .

Regeneration

Roundworms such as Ascaris belong to which phylum?

Aschelminthes (Nematoda)

The body cavity of roundworms is called a .

Pseudocoelom

Which nematode causes filariasis in humans?

Wuchereria bancrofti

Male Ascaris can be distinguished by what posterior feature?

Curved caudal end with penial spicules (cloaca)

Animals with true coelom and metameric segmentation first appear in which phylum?

Annelida

What locomotory appendages, bearing setae, help Nereis swim?

Parapodia

Name the excretory organs of annelids that also aid in osmoregulation.

Nephridia

Which annelid is a blood-sucking ectoparasite on vertebrates?

Hirudinaria (leech)

Earthworms exchange gases mainly through their .

Moist skin (cutaneous respiration)

Which is the largest phylum of Animalia, characterised by jointed appendages and chitinous exoskeleton?

Arthropoda

In insects, nitrogenous wastes are removed by _.

Malpighian tubules

Book lungs are respiratory organs found in which arthropod group?

Arachnids (e.g., scorpion, spider)

The ‘living fossil’ Limulus is commonly known as the .

King crab (horseshoe crab)

Name the gregarious pest responsible for devastating crop swarms.

Locust (Locusta)

Which arthropod class includes prawns and crabs characterised by green (antennary) glands?

Crustacea

Second-largest animal phylum, with soft unsegmented bodies often covered by a shell, is .

Mollusca

The rasping feeding organ in many molluscs is called the .

Radula

What mantle cavity structures in molluscs function in respiration and excretion?

Ctenidia (gills)

Which marine mollusc is famous for producing pearls?

Pinctada (pearl oyster)

Octopus and squid belong to which molluscan class noted for eight arms or tentacles?

Cephalopoda

Animals with calcareous ossicles, radial adult symmetry, and water vascular system form the phylum .

Echinodermata

Which echinoderm organ system uses tube feet for locomotion and feeding?

Water vascular system

Larvae of echinoderms possess which type of symmetry?

Bilateral symmetry

Name the echinoderm commonly called ‘sea cucumber’.

Cucumaria

Hemichordata body is divided into what three regions?

Proboscis, collar, and trunk

Excretion in Balanoglossus is performed by which structure?

Proboscis gland

The collar-region diverticulum in hemichordates, once thought a notochord, is termed .

Stomochord

Chordates are defined by possessing notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, and _.

Paired pharyngeal gill slits (plus post-anal tail)

Protochordates lacking a cranium include which two subphyla?

Urochordata (Tunicata) and Cephalochordata

In which subphylum is the notochord restricted to the tail of the larva?

Urochordata

Give the common name of Branchiostoma (Amphioxus).

Lancelet

Living jawless vertebrates belong to which class?

Cyclostomata

Cyclostomes possess how many pairs of gill slits for respiration?

6–15 pairs

Name the ectoparasitic jawless fish called lamprey.

Petromyzon

Paired fins first appear in which vertebrate superclass?

Pisces

Cartilaginous fishes are grouped under which class?

Chondrichthyes

Placoid scales form the teeth of which predatory fish group?

Chondrichthyes (sharks and rays)

What type of tail (fin) is characteristic of sharks (heterogeneous lobes)?

Heterocercal tail

Dogfish belongs to which genus?

Scoliodon

Electric shock–producing marine ray is scientifically called .

Torpedo

In bony fishes, gills are covered by a protective flap called the .

Operculum

Air bladder in Osteichthyes primarily helps in .

Buoyancy regulation (balance)

Which fish is nicknamed ‘sea horse’ and shows male brood pouch?

Hippocampus

Give one example of a flying fish in class Osteichthyes.

Exocoetus

Amphibians respire through lungs, gills, skin, and .

Buccopharyngeal cavity

Heart of an adult frog has how many chambers?

Three (two atria, one ventricle)

Amphibian eggs hatch into aquatic larvae called .

Tadpoles

Moist glandular skin without scales is characteristic of which vertebrate class?

Amphibia

Reptiles are the first vertebrates to lay shelled eggs on land; such eggs are termed .

Amniotic eggs

Which reptile has a four-chambered heart unlike other reptiles?

Crocodile

Snakes and lizards periodically shed their skin in a process called .

Ecdysis (skin casting)

Name a non-poisonous large snake often kept in zoos.

Python

Feathers and pneumatic bones are defining adaptations for flight in which class?

Aves (birds)

The oil-secreting preen gland of birds is located at which region?

Base of the tail (uropygium)

Which bird is the largest living flightless species?

Struthio (ostrich)

Birds maintain constant body temperature; thus they are described as .

Warm-blooded (homoiothermic)

Milk-producing glands that nourish young ones are called .

Mammary glands

Name the egg-laying (oviparous) mammal from Australia with a duck-bill snout.

Ornithorhynchus (platypus)

Which marine mammal is the largest living animal on Earth?

Balaenoptera (blue whale)

External ears or pinnae are present in which vertebrate class only?

Mammalia

Different-shaped teeth in mammals are collectively described as .

Heterodont dentition

Kangaroo exhibits development of its young in an abdominal pouch; this order is called .

Marsupial (Metatheria)

Insects possess how many pairs of legs, giving their class name Hexapoda?

Three pairs

Which arthropod excretory organ opens at the base of antennae in prawns?

Green (antennary) gland

The calcareous shell of molluscs is secreted by which tissue layer?

Mantle (pallium)

Starfish belongs to which echinoderm genus commonly dissected in labs?

Asterias

The larva of Hemichordata develops through which indirect stage?

Tornaria larva

What is the main difference between chordates and non-chordates regarding nerve cord location?

Chordates have a dorsal hollow nerve cord; non-chordates have a ventral solid nerve cord.