Animal Reproduction: English Vocabulary List

(of birds, fish, etc.) to come out of an egg

"The chicks hatch from eggs."

"The mother bird sat on her eggs patiently waiting for them to hatch after several weeks."

the process of mating animals, plants, or microorganisms with desirable characteristics to produce offspring with those same traits

"Breeding season for these frogs begins after heavy rain."

"Breeding season for the deer began in autumn when stags competed loudly for mating rights."

the eggs that an aquatic animal or an amphibian lays and are covered with a transparent layer

"Salmon spawn in the same stream where they were born."

"The salmon returned to the same stream where it was born to spawn and then die."

the stage of the metamorphosis that comes between the larval and adult stages of a moth or butterfly

"The butterfly emerged from its chrysalis."

"The caterpillar hung upside down and formed a chrysalis where it would transform into a butterfly."

(of animals) to have sex for breeding or reproduction

"Birds mate during the spring season."

"The birds mate during the spring season and then build a nest to raise their young chicks."

the union of a sperm and an egg to form a zygote, which marks the beginning of sexual reproduction in organisms

"Fertilization occurs when the sperm meets the egg."

"Fertilization occurs when the male sperm successfully penetrates the female egg forming a new organism."

to remove the sexual organs of a female animal, called ovaries

"Please spay your female cat."

"We decided to spay our cat to prevent her from having unwanted litters of kittens every year."

to make an animal or plant breed with a different type

"Farmers crossbreed cattle for better traits."

"The farmer decided to crossbreed two different varieties of corn to create a hybrid that would be more resistant to pests and disease."

to remove the sex organs of a domestic animal in order to keep it from reproduction

"Please neuter your male dog soon."

"The veterinarian recommended that we neuter our male cat to prevent him from spraying inside the house and fighting with other cats."

all the young of a bird hatched at the same time, or the young of an animal cared for together

"The hen sat on her brood."

"The mother hen protected her brood of chicks by keeping them under her wings whenever she sensed any danger from predators nearby."

the eggs laid by a frog, covered in a jelly-like mucus

"Frogspawn floats in large clumps near the pond's edge."

"The pond was thick with frogspawn in early spring each black dot surrounded by clear jelly."

an insect which is in an inactive transitory stage of its metamorphosis, between the larval and adult stages

"The butterfly remains inside its pupa for several weeks."

"The caterpillar transformed into a pupa attached to a twig where its body would completely reorganize into a butterfly."

a special cell used for reproduction, with sperm cells being the male gametes and egg cells being the female gametes

"Sperm is a male gamete."

"Gametes carry half the number of chromosomes needed for reproduction."

an organism that has both male and female reproductive organs

"Earthworms are hermaphrodites and possess both male and female organs."

"The earthworm is a hermaphrodite possessing both male and female reproductive organs simultaneously."

the time between exposure to a pathogen and the onset of symptoms

"Short incubation period."

"The incubation period of chicken eggs is twenty one days before the chicks begin to hatch."

the smallest and most motile cells in the male reproductive system responsible for fertilizing the female egg

"The male releases sperm into the water near the eggs."

"The sperm cell travels through the female reproductive tract to reach and fertilize the egg."

the recurring period of sexual receptivity and fertility in female mammals

"The female enters estrus only once during the breeding season."

"The female dog enters estrus twice per year which is commonly referred to as being in heat."