Fish Reproduction

#science #biology Most species of fish use sexual reproduction, a fish will typically produce a large amount of gametes. In the majority of these fish, fertilization takes place externally. These are called oviparous. Eggs are laid and embryos develop outside the body. However, in a small community of fish, such as sharks. Eggs develop inside the body yet without resources from the mother.

Spawning

Commonly, a large group of adults group to release their gametes simultaneously into the water, this is called spawning. It benefits by increasing the chance of fertilization and chance of survival with many embryos forming at once. A fish does not have a secure set of parents, so they do not provide much support.

Mouth Brooding

An exception to lack of parental support is mouth brooding. This is a process in which the fish stores the fertilized eggs within their mouth until they hatch. This picture shows a fish below performing mouth brooding.