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It is estimated that in the world there are about 2 million species of animals. Some, like dogs or cats, we can see almost daily in cities and much is known about them, but there are less common animals with a multitude of curiosities that we don't know.
This is the case of ovoviviparous animals, they have a very different form of reproduction and have unusual but very interesting characteristics. To learn more about animals and discover precious information about them ovoviviparous animals, examples and curiosities, keep reading this PeritoAnimal article.
What are ovoviviparous animals?
You oviparous animals, like birds and many reptiles, reproduce through eggs that females lay in the environment (in a process known as laying) and, after an incubation period, these eggs break, giving rise to the offspring and beginning a new life in the outside.
US live animals, most are mammals like dogs or humans, embryos develop inside the mother's uterus, reaching the outside through childbirth.
That is, the egg-viviparous animals they develop in eggs that are found inside the mother's body. These eggs break inside the mother's body and at the time of birth the young are born, immediately or shortly after the egg breaks.
Certainly, have you ever heard the question: who came first, the chicken or the egg? If the chicken were an ovoviviparous animal, the answer would be easier, that is, both at the same time. Next, we will make a list with examples of ovoviviparous animals very curious.
Seahorse
The seahorse (Hippocampus) is an example of a very curious ovoviviparous animal, as they are born from eggs incubated inside the father. During fertilization, the female seahorse transfers the eggs to the males, who keep them protected in a bag in which, after a certain period of development, they break and the offspring come out.
But that's not the only curiosity about the Sea horses but also, unlike what many people think, they are not crustaceans, like shrimp and lobsters, but fish. Another interesting feature is the fact that they can change color to confuse the animals around them.
Platypus
The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is from Australia and nearby places, it is considered one of the strangest animals in the world, as despite being a mammal it has a beak similar to a duck and fish feet, adapted for aquatic life. In fact, it is said that the first Westerners who saw this animal thought it was a joke and that someone was trying to trick them by putting a beak on a beaver or other similar animal.
He also has a poisonous ankle spur, being one of the few poisonous mammals that exist. Anyway, despite being cited numerous times as one of the examples of ovoviviparous animals, the platypus lays eggs but does not hatch immediately after laying.
Although it happens in a relatively short period of time (about two weeks), a period in which the mother incubates the eggs in a nest. Upon leaving the egg, the puppies drink the milk produced by the mother.
Learn more about the platypus in this PeritoAnimal article.
asp viper
THE asp viper (Viper aspis), is another example of ovoviviparous animals as well as many snakes. This reptile is found in many parts of Mediterranean Europe, although it is neither aggressive to humans nor very easy to find, this snake. it is highly poisonous.
Hearing the name of the asp viper inevitably comes to mind the story of Cleopatra. She committed suicide when she was betrayed by a sharp snake that was hidden in a basket of figs. Anyway, Cleopatra died in Egypt, a place where this reptile is not easy to find, so it probably referred to an Egyptian snake, also known as Cleopatra's Asp, whose scientific name is Naja heje.
In any case, most historians consider it false that the death was caused by the bite of a snake, whatever its species, claiming that Cleopatra was more likely to commit suicide using some kind of poison, although the snake story has more charm.
lycrane
The lynchan (Anguis fragilis) is, without a shadow of a doubt, a truly amazing animal. In addition to being an ovoviviparous, it is a legless lizard. It looks like a snake but, unlike most reptiles, it doesn't incessantly seek out the sun as it prefers wetter and darker places.
Unlike the platypus and the asp, the keystone is not poisonous although there are rumors to the contrary. In fact, it's extremely harmless with worms being the main source of power. There are also those who say that the lyranço is blind, but there is no reliability in that information.
White shark
There are many sharks that can be examples of ovoviviparous animals, such as the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), famous and feared around the world because of the movie "Jaws" directed by Steven Spilberg. However, in reality, the original title of the movie is "Jaws" which in Portuguese means "jaws"
Despite being a predator capable of easily devouring a person, the white shark prefers to feed on other animals, such as seals. Human deaths caused by this animal are lower than those caused by other animals that appear more harmless to the eye, such as hippos.
