Sentence Correction

The 32 species that make up the dolphin family are closely related to whales and in fact include the animal known as the killer whale, which can grow to be 30 feet long and is famous for its aggressive hunting pods.

A.include the animal known as the killer whale, which can grow to be 30 feet long and is
B.include the animal known as the killer whale, growing as big as 30 feet long and
C.include the animal known as the killer whale, growing up to 30 feet long and being
D.include the animal known as the killer whale, which can grow as big as 30 feet long and is
E.includes the animal known as the killer whale, which can grow to be 30 feet long and it is

Isn't species a collective noun? Is the verb include correct or includes?

Experts - Please suggest

Species is collective noun
But here the author is saying "The 32 species"
Thus the correct verb is INCLUDE.

The word "species" is the same whether singular or plural, much like the word "sheep" or "fish." So yes, the singular word "species" can be a singular collective noun, however it can also be the plural word "species," annoyingly spelled the same.

In this case, as Prachich pointed out, there are 32 species, so it must be plural. Also, notice the non-underlined plural verb "are...related," which indicates again that its subject, "species," is also in fact plural.

A is the answer, right? Thanks for all feedback.

Kindly correct the question. AS stated, either Option A or D can be correct. In OG, Option D is stated with 'includes'.

thanx