Characteristics of Oviparous Animals – Animals are one of the living things that have the nature to reproduce. How to breed each animal, of course, is different. There are animals that reproduce by giving birth or are viviparous, there are also those that lay eggs or are oviparous, and some even lay eggs and give birth at the same time or are ovoviviparous.
The difference in how these animals reproduce depends on the presence of special organs in an animal. For example, animals that reproduce by laying eggs or oviparous do not have mammary glands and auricles.
Then, what are the characteristics of the oviparous animal? What is the difference between oviparous and viviparous animals? What are examples of animals that reproduce by laying eggs or oviparous?
So, so that Sinaumed’s can understand this, let’s look at the following explanation!
Get to know Oviparous Animals
Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by laying eggs. So that the eggs can hatch to produce young animals, the eggs will usually be incubated by their parents.
Examples of animals that are oviparous are chickens, ducks, frogs, fish, snakes, turtles, and others.
In the eggs released by the oviparous animal parent, there is an embryo which can later hatch and produce offspring of the same type. Animals that lay eggs are female animals and fertilization can occur outside or inside.
Characteristics of Oviparous Animals
- Do not have mammary glands to breastfeed their children
- Don’t have ears
- Can incubate the eggs
Difference between Oviparous Animals and Viviparous Animals
| Oviparous animal | Viviparous animal |
| Do not have mammary glands | Have mammary glands that function to suckle their children |
| Don’t have ears | Have ears |
| Does not have a uterine canal to give birth | Has a uterine canal to give birth to her child |
| The zygote develops into an egg which is enclosed in a shell | The zygote develops into an embryo in the uterine tube |
| Releases the eggs from the cloaca | Give birth to their young from the genitals of female animals |
| Don’t have a placenta | Has a placenta which functions to provide nutrition to the embryo |
How to Fertilize Oviparous Animals
Animals that reproduce by laying eggs will carry out fertilization outside the female animal’s body, for example fish and amphibians. These oviparous female animals will release their eggs, while male oviparous animals will release a good number of sperm cells in the water. The two cells will meet in the water and form a zygote and egg.
After the egg is fertilized, it will develop into an egg covered by a shell. Then, the egg will be released through the cloaca in the body of the female oviparous animal. Then, wait for the time for the eggs to hatch.
The time it takes for an egg in an oviparous animal to hatch varies. For example, in fish it takes about 4-5 days for the eggs to hatch, while in chickens it takes about 21 days for the eggs to hatch into chicks.
Examples of Oviparous Animals
1. Chicken
Chicken is a type of poultry that is often used as livestock or pets. This is because chickens have various benefits for human life, be it eggs, feathers, and meat.
2. Duck
Ducks are different from geese, because the body size of ducks is smaller. Ducks can live on land or on the surface of fresh water. Similar to chickens, ducks are also often used as livestock or pets by humans. Duck eggs and meat are very beneficial for human food life.
3. Fish
Fish are animals that are included in the class of cold-blooded animals that live in water, be it fresh water or sea water. Fish breathe using gills. Male fish and female fish will mate in the breeding process. The time it takes for a fish for its eggs to hatch is 3-4 days after the eggs are laid in their habitat.
4. Turtle
Turtles can live on land and in water, but they spend most of their time on land. Turtles are different from turtles and turtles, the difference lies in their habitat.
A turtle can live for hundreds of years, there are even turtles that are 226 years old. Turtle eggs will usually be incubated by buried in the sand.
5. Snake
Snakes can develop in various places in all corners of the world, for example in forests, in deserts, on mountains, in residential areas, to the oceans. Snakes in general are cold-blooded animals.
Most of the snake species will leave their eggs in the hole where they live, usually in moist soil. The time needed for snake eggs to hatch is about 3 months. Until the hatching time arrives, snake eggs will be incubated by the heat of the mother’s body or from the heat of the earth’s atmosphere.
6. Lizard
Lizards usually live in shady places, for example on the walls and roofs of human houses. Lizard food is insects, especially mosquitoes and moths. Lizards have “adhesive” on the soles of their feet, making it easier for them to walk on the walls of the house.
In the breeding process, lizard eggs take about 40-60 days to hatch. At that time, the environment where the lizard lives can actually affect the sex of the chicks that hatch later.
The average lizard life span is 10 years. Lizards also do not have a special mating season.
7. Frog
Frogs are amphibians, meaning they can live both on land and in water. In the breeding process, lizard eggs take about 1-3 weeks to hatch. Some frog species can also carry or lay their eggs on the mother frog’s back to avoid predators.
So, those are the characteristics and examples of oviparous animals that Sinaumed’s needs to know. Has Sinaumed’s directly observed the process of hatching eggs of these oviparous animals? If you have, it can be a memorable and educational experience!