Question

An animal should possess at least one out of the three possible characteristics to enable it to function as a ureotelic organism. List these characteristics.

Answer 1

The nitrogenous waste is the primary form of waste in animals. This nitrogenous waste can take different forms in different types of animals. The types of this waste include ammonia, urea, and uric acid. Ureotelic organisms excrete urea instead of ammonia and uric acid.

Based on the type of nitrogenous waste, we can divide animals into the following major categories:

Ammonotelic: These animals have ammonia as the main nitrogenous waste. These are typically aquatic animals, e.g. fish, frogs, etc. These animals require a lot of water to remove the wastes.

Ureotelic: These animals produce urea as the main nitrogenous waste. Common examples include mammals that need less water.

Uricotelic: In these animals, uric acid is the main nitrogenous waste. Examples include reptiles that need negligent amounts of water.