Learn how different animals reproduce, including basic concepts of sexual and asexual reproduction, explained simply for 11-year-old students.
Animals reproduce to make new animals, which helps their species to continue living. There are two main ways that animals reproduce: sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction.
Most animals reproduce sexually. This means they need two parents: a male and a female. The male produces special cells called sperm, and the female produces special cells called eggs. When a sperm and an egg join together, it’s called fertilization. This fertilized egg can grow into a baby animal.
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Some animals can reproduce without needing a partner. This is called asexual reproduction. Here, one animal can make a new animal that is a copy of itself.
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So, animals reproduce in different ways to have babies: either by sexual reproduction with two parents or by asexual reproduction where one animal makes a copy of itself.