Viviparous, oviparous and ovoviviparous animals differ in that the viviparous develop in the mother’s womb, the oviparous in an egg that grows outside the womb, and the ovoviviparous in an egg too, but inside the mother’s womb.
Viviparous Oviparous Ovoviviparous What they are They are animals that are formed in the womb. They are animals that form inside an egg. They are animals that are formed inside an egg that is inside the maternal womb. Fetal nutrition Through the placenta (placentotrophic). They feed on the contents of the egg (lecithotrophs). Through the placenta (placentotrophic). With the content of the egg (lecithotrophic). How they are born The baby is born when it is fully formed (except marsupials). When the baby is ready to be born, it hatches. When the calf completes its development process, the mother expels it from her body. Examples Kangaroo Tiger Whale Lion Bear Penguin Ant White stork Parrot Chicken Manta ray Platypus Echidnas Glass shingles Suriname toad
What are viviparous animals?
Viviparous animals are all those that develop and feed inside the body of the pregnant female until the moment of birth. Once they are born, they can live autonomously, since they are fully developed.
An exception to this rule are viviparous marsupials, whose young are born at a premature stage and need to complete their training process inside the pouch of the parent animal (such as kangaroos).
Almost all mammals (vertebrate animals with mammary glands) are viviparous. The exceptions to this rule are echidnas and platypuses, which hatch in eggs that were previously inside the body of the parent female, making them ovoviviparous.
The term viviparous comes from the Latin viviparuswhich in turn is a word made up of vivus (alive, animated, alive) and give birth (give birth, give birth).
How do viviparous animals reproduce?
Viviparous animals reproduce sexually. Fertilization occurs when the male’s sperm unites with the female’s egg to form an embryo. Depending on how the evolution of the embryo continues, the viviparous are classified into two types:
placental viviparous: pregnant females have a placenta where the embryo will complete its development process until birth.
marsupial viviparous: pregnant females lack a placenta, so the embryo can only evolve to a certain point. At birth, it passes into the marsupium, an external structure similar to a bag, where it will complete its development.
Fetal nutrition of viviparous
Viviparous fetal nutrition is placentotrophic, that is, they feed through the maternal placenta. These nutrients depend directly on the mother’s diet. Therefore, a properly fed viviparous female will gestate a well-nourished embryo.
The gestation process varies according to the species. In mice, gestation lasts 20 days, in humans it lasts nine months and in whales, from 12 to 18 months.
Examples of Viviparous Animals
Except for extraordinary exceptions, such as the salamander of the subspecies salamander salamandra gallica, almost all viviparous are mammals. This is a list with some examples:
Kangaroo Tiger Whale Lion Bear Dog Rabbit Cat Gazelle Zebra Horse Dolphin Pig Giraffe Rhino Sheep Goat Cow Wild Boar Panda Bear
What are oviparous animals?
Oviparous animals are those that develop inside an egg, a specialized structure that can be inside or outside the body of the pregnant animal.
Being inside an egg, the embryo cannot feed directly from the parent female, like viviparous ones. In this case, it feeds on the nutrients that the yolk has. When it has completed its development process, it hatches, that is, it breaks the structure that contains it to go outside. This process is usually instinctive, so the calf does not require help to be born.
Birds, insects, and most reptiles, fish, and amphibians are oviparous, with some exceptions being ovoviviparous species.
Oviparous comes from the Latin composed of ovum (egg) and give birth (give birth).
How do oviparous animals reproduce?
In the oviparous, reproduction can be internal or external. This involves two different types of egg development:
internal fertilization: after copulation between the male and the female, an embryo is generated within it. Then, the female will lay an egg that contains the embryo and will deposit it in a safe place (in a nest, under the sand, in a hidden place, etc.). In that egg, the future offspring will complete its development until it is time to hatch and be born.
external fertilization: the female expels an egg abroad, which will be fertilized by the male. From there, it will evolve until it hatches.
Fetal nutrition of the oviparous
The nutrition of oviparous embryos is lecithotrophic. This means that the embryos feed exclusively on the nutrients found in the yolk.
egg care
The quantity and care of the eggs depends on each species. A farmed chicken can lay one egg a day, while a sea turtle can lay more than 70 eggs in a single fertilization.
On the other hand, both male and female penguins participate in the care of their eggs to avoid exposing them to predators. Other species lay eggs and abandon them, such as lizards and most reptiles.
Examples of oviparous animals
All birds and most reptiles are oviparous. These are some examples:
Penguin Ant White Stork Parrot Chicken Ostrich Iguana Eagle Condor Frog Sparrow Komodo Dragon Macaw Turtle Shark (some species) Crocodile Bee Toad
What are ovoviviparous animals?
Ovoviviparous are those animals that grow inside the pregnant womb, but at the same time are inside an egg, so they share common characteristics with viviparous and oviparous. The egg can hatch inside the mother’s womb or be expelled at birth.
How do ovoviviparous reproduce?
Ovoviviparous reproduce sexually by internal fertilization. Once the embryo has been formed, it begins to develop inside an egg, which in turn is contained inside the pregnant animal, where it will remain until its development process is complete.
The nutrition of future ovoviviparous pups can be:
placentotrophic: the embryo is nourished through the mother’s placenta, like viviparous.
lecithotrophic: the embryo is nourished by the nutrients contained in the egg, like oviparous.
Examples of ovoviviparous animals
These are some examples of ovoviviparous animals:
Manta Ray Platypus Echidnas Glass Shingles Suriname Toad Great White Shark Dogfish Trioceros Boa constrictor
Anaconda
You may be interested in knowing the difference between vertebrate and invertebrate animals.