oviparous vs viviparous animals whats the difference
Oviparous Vs. Viviparous Animals - What's the Difference?
We often come across terms oviparity (mostly in the context of birds) and viviparity (in the context of mammals), but as is normally the case with jargon, most people don't know what they mean and how they differ from each other? In this Buzzle article, we will compare oviparous and viviparous animals to highlight the differences between them.
Are Sharks Oviparous or Viviparous?
While species like the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris), mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), etc., are oviparous in nature, species like oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus), zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum), and swellshark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) are viviparous. Oviparous sharks deposit their eggs in the ocean. These eggs eventually hatch to produce young ones―that's if they survive predators. Viviparous sharks, on the other hand, give birth to live young.
Do Oviparous Mammals Exist?
Only five extant mammals are known to be oviparous in nature, namely the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), western long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijni), Sir David's long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi), eastern long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bartoni), and the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). These species are clubbed together as monotremes.
Like mentioned earlier, viviparity is seen in animals as well as plants. In viviparous plants, the germination of seeds occurs inside the tree. These seeds eventually detach from the mother plant and fall to the ground, where they go on to develop into adult trees.