How animals produce young — Biology, 7–10 years
Animals produce young in different ways, helping their species continue. Biology, 7–10 years.
Animals have young
Animals make new members of their own species, called young or offspring. Some begin life in eggs, while others develop inside a parent and are born alive. The young may be cared for by parents, left on their own, or follow a pattern between these two.
Why animals produce young
An individual animal does not live forever, so a species needs new individuals to continue. Reproduction solves this problem by making young animals that can grow up and produce young of their own. Different species use different methods because their bodies and ways of living are different.
A frog’s beginning
First, an adult frog lays many eggs in water. Next, tadpoles hatch from the eggs and use their tails to swim. Then they grow back legs, front legs and lungs while their tails shrink. Finally, a young frog can live on land as well as near water.
Young animals are not all alike
It is reasonable to expect every young animal to look like a smaller adult, because a puppy resembles a dog. But a tadpole looks very different from a frog, and a caterpillar differs from a butterfly. Young animals may change shape as they grow, while still belonging to the same species.
Young animals around us
You can see reproduction in a nest of chicks, a litter of kittens or tadpoles in a pond. Farmers plan for eggs, chicks or lambs, and wildlife workers protect nesting places. Knowing how a species produces young helps people care for animals without disturbing the right conditions.
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