Biology 2009 JAMB Past Questions - Question 49: During the dry season in the tropics, the body metabolism of some animals slows to a minimal level in a process referred to as

Correct Answer

B

Explanation

it is a behavioral adaptation which some animals exhibit in hot region or dry season or drying of pond in which the animals look for a cold and safe place and remain dormant there until rainy season returns. e.g. snails, African lung fish. the lung fish constructs a cocoa deep down in the mud and remain there until rainy season returns. snails tucks the fleshy body into the shell and covers it within chalky material. Hibernation occurs in temperate region during extreme cold when some animals look for a warm and safe place to hide e.g. seal and bear. senescence or old age is a period of negative growth in which growth starts to slow down and finally comes to a halt because the organism has reached it's maximum size or due to lack of rest which precedes the germination of seeds.