REPRODUCTION IN ANIMALS

What is Reproduction?
Reproduction is the process of producing individuals of the same kind. Most of the organisms
reproduce by mating that increases the genetic variability of the organism. The males and
females have separate reproductive organs known as gonads. These gonads produce gametes
that fuse together to form a single cell called the zygote.
Few animals such as earthworms, snails, slugs, etc. are hermaphrodites and possess male and
female reproductive organs in the same organism.

Modes of Reproduction
Depending on the number of parents involved, there are different modes of reproduction. In
animals is of two types of reproduction :

1. Sexual Reproduction.
2. Asexual Reproduction.

Let us go through the following reproduction notes to explore sexual and asexual reproduction
in animals.

Sexual Reproduction in Animals

The process in which the male and female gametes fuse together to form a new individual is
called sexual reproduction. Let us have a brief account of the human reproductive organs and
their role in reproduction.

Reproductive Organs
The male reproductive organs comprise a pair of testes, sperm ducts, and a penis. The sperms
are produced by the testes. The sperms are very small in size with a head, a middle piece, and a
tail.
The female reproductive organs comprise a pair of ovaries, oviducts, and the uterus. The eggs
(ova) are produced by the ovaries. The development of the baby takes place in the uterus. A
mature egg is released into the oviduct every month.
Process of Sexual Reproduction in Animals

Fertilization
The semen contains millions of sperms. A single sperm fuses with the ova during fertilization.
The nuclei of the egg and the sperm fuse together to form a single nucleus. Thus, a zygote is
formed.
Fertilization is of two types:

 Internal Fertilization
The fertilization that takes place inside the body of the female is known as internal fertilization.
For eg., humans, cows, dogs, etc. This method is more prevalent in terrestrial animals. However,
some aquatic animals also adopt this method. This may take place by direct introduction of

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sperms by the male in the female reproductive tract, or the male deposits the sperms in the
environment which is picked up by the female in her reproductive tract.
They are three ways by which offsprings are produced by internal fertilization:
1. Oviparity– The fertilized eggs are laid outside, where they receive nourishment from the
yolk.
2. Ovoviviparity– The fertilized eggs are retained in the female’s body where they receive
nourishment from the yolk. The eggs are laid right before they are hatched.
3. Viviparity– The offsprings are born directly instead of hatching from the eggs. They
receive nutrition from the mother. This can be seen in mammals.

 External Fertilization
The fertilization that takes place outside the female is called external fertilization. For eg., frogs,
fish. Most fertilization takes place during the process of spawning. The environmental signals
such as water temperature trigger spawning.

Embryo Development
The zygote divides repeatedly to form a ball of cells. This is known as the developing embryo.
These cells differentiate into respective tissues and organs. The embryo gets implanted in the
uterine wall. This process is known as implantation.
When all the body parts of the embryo start being visible, it is called a foetus. The child is
developed after nine months in humans.
Viviparous and Oviparous Animals
Oviparous and viviparous animals are two different groups of animals, which are classified on
the basis of fertilization. The main difference between oviparous and viviparous animals are
listed below:

Oviparous Viviparous

Meaning

Egg-laying animals Animals that give birth to the young ones

Fertilization

Either internal or external Fertilization is internal

Nutrients to the developing embryo

Provided by the egg yolk Provided by the mother through the placenta

Development of zygote

There is very little or no development of the

The embryo develops entirely inside the mother.
embryo inside the mother.

Survival chances

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 There are fewer chances of survival since The young one is protected inside the mother
the eggs are laid outside the body and so the chances of survival are more.

Examples

Insects, hens, fish, amphibians. Humans, dogs, cats, horses, etc.

Asexual Reproduction in Animals

Besides sexual reproduction, the other major type of reproduction seen in the animal kingdom is
asexual reproduction. This type of reproduction is mostly observed in lower organisms and
unicellular microbes.
It is the process in which a new individual is formed by the involvement of a single parent
without the involvement of the gamete formation. The individuals produced are genetically and
morphologically similar. It occurs in unicellular organisms. The cells divide by mitotic division
and no fertilization takes place. The division occurs very rapidly.

Types Of Asexual Reproduction

Asexual Reproduction is of the following types:

Binary Fission
It is seen in amoeba and euglena. The parent cell undergoes mitosis and increases in size. The
nucleus also divides. Two identical daughter cells are obtained, each containing a nucleus.
Prokaryotes like bacteria majorly reproduce by binary fission.

Budding
In this, the offspring grows out of the body of the parent. It remains attached to the parent until it
matures. After maturation, it detached itself from the parent and lives as an individual organism.
This form of reproduction is most common in Hydras.

Fragmentation
In some organisms like Planarians, when the body of an organism breaks into several pieces
each piece grows into an individual offspring. This is known as fragmentation. It can occur
through accidental damage by predators or otherwise, or as a natural form of reproduction. In
few animals such as sea star, a broken arm grows into a complete organism.

Regeneration
It is a modified form of fragmentation and occurs mostly in Echinoderms. When a part of an
organism, like an arm, detaches from the parent body, it grows into a completely new individual.
This is known as regeneration.

Parthenogenesis
This is a form of asexual reproduction where the egg develops without fertilization. This process
occurs in bees, wasps, ants, aphids, rotifers, etc. Ants, wasps, and bees produce haploid males.
Parthenogenesis has been observed in a few vertebrates such as hammerhead sharks, Komodo
dragons, blacktop sharks when the females were isolated from the males.