Printable version Email this to a friend
Reproduction
All living creatures reproduce in order to survive. Reproduction is the way animals create new organisms similar to themselves. There are two types of animal reproduction - asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction.
Asexual reproduction 
When a creature reproduces asexually they produce identical offspring. Many invertebrates reproduce asexually, including coral and starfish. Coral grow small buds that break off to become separate organisms, whilst starfish are able to generate an entirely new being from a fragment of their original body. Asexual reproduction enables animals to reproduce without a partner, creating a numerous well-adapted offspring.
Sexual reproduction
Nearly all animals reproduce sexually. Sexual reproduction requires a male and a female parent and produces similar but genetically different offspring. The female of the species produces an egg which is fertilized by sperm from the male. Depending on the species, fertilization takes place either within the female’s body or externally, after the female lays her eggs and the male releases his sperm close by. When the egg is fertilized the genes of both parents are combined to produce a new individual.
Download a PDF version of this guide:
Birds and Bees (1.8 MB)
