WEEK5

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM IN VERTEBRATE

(LIZARD AND BIRD)
LESSON OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, students should be able to
 Identify male and female reproductive system of a bird
 State the structural differences between male and female reproductive system of a bird
 identify the male and female reproductive system of a lizard
 distinguish between eggs of vertebrates
 Compare reproduction in fish, toad, reptile and bird
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM IN REPTILES – Fertilization in reptiles and birds are
internal in which after mating, the female lays fertilized eggs.
MALES (lizard) – they have copulatory apparatus.The male Agama lizard has 2
ovoid testes located in the abdomen. The right testis is slightly anterior in
position to the left testis. Tiny tubes called vas deferens lead sperm cells to a
coiled epididymis which lies along the outer edges to the testis. Its penis is a
hollow cylindrical structure which releases sperm into the female body for
fertilization
FEMALE – The female Agama lizard has two ovaries in its abdomen. Eggs from the ovaries
are discharged into the abdominal space. Each oviduct is a thin walled, wide and twisted
tube. The oviduct opens posteriorly into the cloaca near the openings of the ureters. The
male penis penetrates the female cloaca into the opening of the oviduct to discharge the
seminal fluid which contains the sperm
• MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM IN BIRDS – The male have two large and ovoid
testes which are attached to the outer edges of the kidneys. A vas deferens
leads from each testis towards the hind end alongside the ureter. The testis is
opened posteriorly to form a seminal vesicle which opens into the cloaca
• FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM IN BIRDS
• Only the ovary located on the left side of their abdomen is functional while
the ovary that is located on the right side is undeveloped. In mature birds, the
left ovary contains two lobes , each of which contains as many as 400 ova,
arranged in clusters to resemble grapes. Each ovum contains a large amount
of yolk
• Eggs are released from the ovary into the oviduct. When they are fertilized by
sperms, the eggs move along the oviduct and are released into the external
environment via the cloaca.
EGGS OF BIRDS AND REPTILES
Birds, reptiles and some mammals lay their eggs on
land. Their eggs are made up of the following;
1. A porous shell which allows for gaseous exchange.
Provides shelter and protects the egg against
mechanical damage and desiccation
• 2. Shell membrane is the site for gaseous exchange
• 3. Has three membranes;
a. CHORION – surrounds both the embryo and the yolk sac
b. AMNION – inner layer that surrounds the embryo. Fluid that accumulates in
the amniotic cavity protects developing embryo from knocks and bumps
• c. ALLANTOIS – is involved in gaseous exchange and removal of wastes.
• 4. Has yolk in the yolk sac which contains a high level of proteins and fats and
provides food essential for embryonic growth.
• 5. Egg white or albumen which contains water and the protein albumin.
 COMPARISON IN THE EGG OF FISH,TOAD,LIZARD AND BIRD

S/N FISH TOAD LIZARD BIRD

1 Number of eggs More/numerous/ More/numer One/few One/few
laid at a time many ous/many
2. Shell Egg case Shell Leathery Hard shell
present/shell absent/jelly shell present
absent like
substance
3. Size Relatively small Small but Small Relatively
(sand grains) bigger than measuring large
sand grains the size of
fingernail
4. Colour Green/yellow/or black white Cream/white
ange /peach/brow
n
5. Nature of laying clustered Parallel Single Single
the egg strings
6. Shape Round Round Oblong /oval Oblong/oval