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
1. Fertilization
The semen contains millions of sperm. 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 e.g., 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 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.
There are three ways by which offspring 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 offspring 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, and fish. Most fertilization takes place during the process of
spawning. Environmental signals such as water temperature trigger spawning.
2. 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 fetus. 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
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, etc. Humans, dogs, cats, horses, etc.

(Diagram of Human Reproduction)

HERMAPHRODITES. Animals having 2 sexes. (e.g. banana slugs, hamlets,

mangrove killfish and earthworms)
Sex changing animals:
Protandry – male to female (e.g. clownfish)
Protogyny – female to male (e.g. California sheephead)
Pseudohermaphrodite (e.g. hyenas)

References:
https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/sexual-reproduction-in-animals-
1457941400-1
https://byjus.com/biology/reproduction-in-animals/
https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/sexual-reproduction
https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/hermaphrodite