Viviparity

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/viviparity

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Not applicable to a biological process; applies to species exhibiting viviparity
2. Why do some animals use viviparity instead of laying eggs?It keeps the babies safe from things like predators, dry weather, and extreme temperatures. This helps the babies survive and grow stronger before they are born.
3. How do placental mammals give food to their babies inside the womb?They have a special organ called a placenta that connects the mother’s blood to the baby’s. The placenta lets nutrients and oxygen travel to the baby and removes waste.

Viviparity: A reproductive mode where embryos develop internally within the mother, receiving nourishment directly from her, resulting in live birth.
Oviparity: Reproduction characterized by the laying of eggs, within which embryos develop externally to the mother's body.
Ovoviviparity: A reproductive strategy where embryos develop within eggs that remain inside the mother, hatching internally before live birth, with minimal direct maternal nourishment.
Placenta: A specialized organ in placental mammals that facilitates nutrient, gas, and waste exchange between the mother and the developing fetus.