To which of the following groups do whales belong?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. Mammalia.
Whales belong to the group Mammalia, meaning they are mammals. Unlike fish, whales are warm-blooded, breathe air through lungs, and give birth to live young, which they nurse with milk from mammary glands. They are fully aquatic but share key characteristics with land mammals, such as having a backbone, hair (though minimal), and three middle ear bones. Whales belong to the order Cetacea, which includes dolphins and porpoises. Despite living in the ocean, their mammalian traits distinguish them from fish, highlighting their evolutionary adaptation from land-dwelling ancestors to marine life over millions of years.