Vivipary

From Free net encyclopedia

Revision as of 02:16, 13 April 2006; view current revision
←Older revision | Newer revision→

To be viviaparous means to give live birth. The offspring stays in the mother and is nourished until birth.

A viviparous animal is an animal employing vivipary, a method of birth before which the embryo develops inside the body of the mother from which it gains nourishment, and not from an egg; that is to say, live birth. Viviparous offspring live independently and require an external food supply from birth. Vivipary is best developed in placental mammals, but also occurs in many reptiles, some amphibians, scorpions, aphids and a few fishes.


A viviparous plant produces seeds that germinate before becoming detached from the parent plant, as in mangrove trees. They may also produce bulbils or new plants rather than seed, as in the tiger lily.

See also


Template:Biology-stubca:Vivípar de:Viviparie es:Vivíparo fr:Viviparité it:Vivipari nl:Viviparie ja:胎生 pt:Vivíparo tr:Vivipar