5 Animals That Lay Eggs. Living beings have many different reproductive strategies. To be honest, these different methods of reproduction are what distinguish animals into two categories: viviparous and oviparous animals. More on that in a moment, here’s a blog about many types of animals who lay eggs!
Nature has found unique ways to sustain ecological balance all over the world. For example, mother nature has given the ability to reproduce by laying eggs to viviparous animals, such as those from the avian variety. But oviparous animals like fish, reptiles and amphibians are granted the gift of being able to bring offspring into this world themselves. If you’re wondering why mother nature would make this distinction, we’re no closer to figuring it out than you are!
What’s Inside Those Eggs?
The egg you typically see in your kitchen every day is the same one that produces a baby chick. That heavenly transformation from egg white, to yolk to an entire living chicken is quite a thing! The anatomy of an egg, keeps it all together, come to think of it. You have the embryo in the yolk that transforms into the baby chicken and you’ve got the egg white providing water for life. Eventually, when the chick has fully developed inside its shell, it hatches and leaves.
Table of Contents
How Do Oviparous Animals Differ From Viviparous Animals?
The major difference between the two animal categories is that the oviparous leave eggs outside their body while the viviparous give live birth. With oviparous animals, eggs fertilized by mating become fertilized and are laid outside their body to incubate for a set period. The eggs of viviparous animals remain and develop inside the female until they can be born alive at an appropriate point in development. At birth, complex procedures lead to a captivating chain of events that’s always exciting to witness given our human fascination with nature and its ingenuity in crafting an interesting world to reside in.
Top 5 Animals That Lay Eggs
It would be impossible to list all of the oviparous animals. But, a lot of leading species from around the world can lay eggs including insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and mammals.
#1 Birds
Birds are lively and fascinating creatures related to dinosaurs. They’re the only animals with feathers and they’re one of the few kinds of warm-blooded vertebrates, too. There are many species of birds living all over the world, but the ostrich is the largest-living bird in Africa and can be as tall as 9 feet (2.7 meters) or as heavy as 350 pounds. One ostrich egg is bigger than any other bird’s eggs, making it a huge species among birds!
#2 Crocodiles
Crocodiles are one of the largest and most vicious reptiles alive today. They’re closely related to their somewhat lookalikes, alligators, and they’re descendants of ancient dinosaurs.
These humongous reptiles love living in saltwater bodies and spend most of their time underwater; they slurp down potential prey like it’s no big deal. A few moments before killing them, these species mate with females that lay eggs in a leaf-covered nest made of soil and plants to provide warmth to the eggs during incubation until they hatch.
#3 Turtles/Tortoise
Turtles are cute reptiles who are known for their characteristic hard shell and small legs. These adaptive species know how to adjust to almost every climate, which is why they’re present across the world.
Turtles like adapting to new places, so they love being in water. The sea turtles are one of the species that come ashore only to lay eggs and return to the ocean immediately. Tortoises live offshore because they prefer going on land. Turtles lay eggs in nests on sand beaches and females leave as soon as they have done so, leaving their eggs without protection.
#4 Frogs
Every part of the world has its own set of frogs. These hopping creatures have slimy skin, large eyes, and a variety of colors not found in regular green frogs. Some rare varieties can even kill humans! Frogs often live near ponds and other wet areas, like shaded tree roots soaked with water during the dry season. After three months, they’re able to mate and produce more frogs that grow up in three to six months–or sometimes as fast as just a month if they’re born at the right time of year.
#5 Fish
Fish are one of Earth’s oldest vertebrate animal species with over 6000 orders and 16,000 species. They all share some basic features such as having gills to breath and fins to swim with. They live in the deep water bodies across the planet and there may be more species of fish yet to be discovered by scientists. Every order of fish has its own colors and patterns that come from where they live. It’s also possible for them to reproduce using either the egg-laying or live birth method, where eggs are carried inside the female body until they hatch inside.
Summary on Animals That Lay Eggs
Exploring the different qualities and behaviors of animals can be exciting. One thing that is praiseworthy about these creatures is that they can adapt to human-dominated environments. However, not every species can survive in changing environments due to human activities such as climate change, deforestation, or urbanization. We must therefore do our part in conservation instead of destroying wildlife.
