Question

An octopus reproduces only once in its life, but it may have more than 100,000 offspring, depending on the species. Certain species of penguin, by contrast, have only one chick at a time. If some species can reproduce as rapidly as the octopus (100,000 offspring every 3 or 4 years), how is it possible that a species that has only one young at a time is equally successful?

A.
Having a large number of offspring assures that at least some of them will escape being killed by predators.
B.
An octopus only reproduces one time, but penguins may reproduce between 4 and 12 times in their lives.
C.
Baby penguins are left to fend for themselves from the time they hatch, so they quickly become self-sufficient.
D.
The success of a species depends on the number of offspring that survive long enough to reproduce.

Answer 1

Answer:B

Step-by-step explanation:

An octopus only reproduces one time, but penguins may reproduce between 4 and 12 times in their lives.

C.

Baby penguins are left to fend for themselves from the time they hatch, so they quickly become self-sufficient.

D.

The success of a species depends on the number of offspring that survive long enough to reproduce.

Answer 2

D

Step-by-step explanation:

I got this exact same question on Study Island.

"The success of a species depends on the number of offspring that survive long enough to reproduce, not just the number of offspring produced at a time or even in a lifetime. A penguin who has only one young can devote a lot of time, attention, and care to it, greatly increasing its chances of surviving long enough for it, too, to reproduce. An octopus, on the other hand, usually dies shortly after reproducing. A young octopus has no parent to protect or teach it, so the vast majority of octopi do not survive long enough to reproduce." -Study Island

Hope this helps :D