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If you would like to read about Microorganisms, please click here.

Animals need to reproduce to prevent their species from extinction. Animals reproduce by laying eggs or giving birth. Different animals have their own ways to ensure the survival of their species.

Animals that give birth to their young nurture and care for their babies. Their mothers suckle their young and have their own ways to protect their young from danger.

• Cow – Protect it’s young with its horn
• Cat – Fight attackers with its claws and move their kittens to a safer place if the kittens are disturbed.
• Kangaroo – Carries its  young in its pouch wherever it goes.
• Zebra, elephant and giraffe – stays in group for a better defense
• Whale and dolphin – Stays close to its calves
• Leopard – Attacks its enemies with sharp teeth and claws

Not all animals that lay eggs take care of their eggs and young. This is what a typical bird will do to ensure the safety of its eggs and young:

1. Build a good nest in a safe spot
2. Incubate their eggs after they lay them
3. Feed their young when they hatch
4. Protect their young from predators

These are some animals that lay eggs and how they ensure the survival of their eggs and young.

• Turtle – Lays hundreds of eggs at  night and buries them in the sand. Their eggs are protected by soft shells or skin
• Spider – Lays egg in a silk cocoon and carries the silk cocoon everywhere it goes
• Snake – Coils round the eggs and attacks animals that come close to the eggs
• Sea horse – The male sea horse use its pouch to store the eggs and looks after them until they hatch. It will protect the young until they can fend for themselves.
• Siamese fighting fish – The male fish catches the eggs in its mouth and drops them into a bubble nest that it has built. It also guards the nest and protects the babies.
• Crocodile – Lays eggs in the sand and stays nearby to guard the eggs. When the eggs hatch, it carries the baby crocodiles in the mouth to the river.
• Butterfly – Lays eggs on the underside of leaves.
• Frog – Lays large numbers of eggs with slimy and smelly coverings  in the water. The covering  prevents and discourages other animals from eating the eggs. The covering will be eaten by the tadpoles when they come out of the eggs.
• Fish – Lays lots of eggs close to water plants to hide them. Some fish keep their young in their mouth.
• Grasshoppers – Lays eggs in the soil.
• Snail – Lays about 60 – 100 eggs at night and buries them under stones.
• Scorpion – Carries its young on its back
• Cockroach – Lays egg protected by hard coverings and hides them in dark places.
• Housefly – Lays up to 500 eggs and hides them under rubbish or faeces.

Laying eggs on the underside of leaves or near rocks and waterplants helps to protect the eggs from being eaten. Laying lots of eggs ensure that some of the eggs have the chance to grow up into adult animals.

Please click here if you want to read about Microorganisms.