Ovoviviparous animals: what are, characteristics and examples

Ovoviviparous animals are those who They develop their embryos inside eggs that retain inside the mother’s body until they are ready to hatch. This reproduction mode is known as ovoviviparity or placental alive.

In ovoviviparity, The fertilization of eggs occurs internally by mating between the sexual organs of the male and the female. Fertilized eggs are incubated within the mother’s body for a while until they mature and are ready to be born. In this way, when the young are born, they give the impression of being born directly from the mother, although they actually developed completely inside an egg.

Unlike live animals, ovoviviparos They have no placental connection with the mother. Instead, Development embryos are nourished from egg yolk. This is known as “viviparity of the vitelino sack”, because the breeding grows without a direct relationship of maternal care.

There are species, such as some sharks and stripes, which have developed special adaptations to facilitate the exchange of gases with embryos in the uterus. In other cases, when the nutrition of the yolk is insufficient, it is complemented with uterine secretions.

Knowing the characteristics of ovoviviparous animals helps us better understand the benefits and adaptations of ovovivípara reproduction in the animal world.

• Development within the mother’s body: In ovoviviparity, eggs develop within the mother’s body, unlike oviparity where eggs are placed and develop outside the body.
• Maternal protection: By keeping the eggs inside the body, the mother provides a protected and controlled environment for embryonic development, which increases the probabilities of survival of the young.
• Nutrition through the vitelino sack: Since ovoviviparous animals do not have placenta, the young obtain the necessary nutrients for their development through the vitelline sack of the egg, which is within the maternal body.
• More developed birth: When the young are finally born, they do it in a state of development more advanced than oviparous offspring, which allows them to be more likely to birth survival.
• Variation in the number of young: The number of ovoviviparous offspring varies greatly between species, from a few sharks to hundreds in fish such as Guppies.
• Adaptation to different environments: Ovoviviparity is a reproductive strategy that allows animals to adapt to different environments, such as aquatic or terrestrial environments.
• Maternal effort: While the mother does not provide direct nutrition through the placenta, maintaining the eggs inside the body implies greater effort and energy expenditure by the female.

Now that you know what ovoviviparous animals are, you are surely asking what animals are ovoviviparos. Let me tell you that there are more than 250 species of ovoviviparous animals, in this list I name you just some of them:

• Giant seahorse (Hippocampus ingens). Here you can discover several types of sea horse.
• Toro or Tigre de Arena Shark (Carcharias Taurus)
• Slow worm (Anguis Fragilis)
• Scorpions (Buthidae). These are different types of scorpions.
• Stained line (Aetobatus narinari). In this link you can know the different types of manta and stripes.
• Rattlesnakes (Crotalus spp.)
• Tsetsé fly (Glossina spp.)
• Argentine cockroach (Dubia Blaptics)
• Blue Language Slizon (Tiliqua Scincoides)
• German cockroach (Germanica Blatlla)
• Áspid viper (VIPERA ASPIS)
• White Shark (Carcharodon Carcharias)
• GUPPY (Poecilia Reticulata)
• Stained carpet shark (Oectolobus maculatus)

The main difference between ovoviviparos, oviparous and viviparous lies in the mode of reproduction and embryonic development.

• Oviparous animals put eggswhich develop Out of the mother’s body. Some examples are sea turtles, birds, reptiles and most fish. In this case, the embryo develops externally and obtains nutrients from the vitle inside the egg. Here you can learn more about what oviparous animals are.
• Ovoviviparous animals also produce eggsbut these develop Inside the mother’s bodywithout forming a placental connection. Some species of sharks, snakes and lizards are ovoviviparos. Here, the embryo develops internally, but without a direct maternal link.
• Viviparos give birth to fully developed young, without eggs. In this case, the embryo is formed and grows inside the maternal uterus, receiving nutrients and oxygen through the placenta. Most mammals, some sharks and some lizards are viviparous. In this other article we explain more about lively animals: what are, characteristics and examples.

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