Why are reptiles monophyletic

So is B the answer? Could anyone help explain it better? I think the question's phrasing is arguably a little wobbly, typically as to the nature of what someone would mean by the term "reptile". But I think you understood what your teacher was expecting.

I agree with you, answer is B. Hence, our traditional definition of reptile makes up for a paraphyletic group as birds aren't included. Related post: If dinosaurs could have feathers, would they still be reptiles? Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams?

Learn more. Reptiles are a paraphyletic group because? View all related items in Oxford Reference ». Search for: 'monophyletic' in Oxford Reference ». All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single entry from a reference work in OR for personal use for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice. Oxford Reference. Publications Pages Publications Pages.

Recently viewed 0 Save Search. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Subscriber sign in You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Username Please enter your Username. Password Please enter your Password. Organisms classified into the same polyphyletic group share phenetic homoplasies as opposed to homologies. Polyphyletic groups are recognized by pheneticists but not by cladists or evolutionary classifiers.

Reptiles are a paraphyletic group: in terms of appearance a crocodile has more in common with lizards than birds and both crocodiles and lizards are classed as reptiles. However, crocodiles share a more common recent ancestor with birds than with lizards.