Why is the traditional grouping "Reptilia" (which excludes birds) considered paraphyletic?
- A
It includes only superficially similar species without common ancestry
- B
It is missing a common ancestor
- Ccheck_circle
It includes a common ancestor but excludes some of its descendants (birds)
- D
It includes more than one common ancestor
Explanation
A paraphyletic group includes a common ancestor and SOME but not all of its descendants. Birds descend from within reptiles; excluding birds while including their reptilian relatives makes "Reptilia" paraphyletic.