Why do some animals produce lots of offspring?

The number of offspring a species produces is finely tuned to optimize its chances for survival. For some, the best strategy is to produce a great number of relatively small young; though predators will consume many of them, the odds are good that at least a few offspring will survive to maturity.

Why do some animals produce more eggs?

As the females grow, their larger ovaries can hold more eggs “so if the fish doubles in length,” the number of eggs will “multiply by 30 or 60,” Coleman says. It’s understood among those who fish not to take large females, “because in some species the largest females are equivalent 30 or even 60 small females.”

Why do some animals not take care of their babies?

Some animal mothers abandon their children when they are born or soon after birth. The children are left vulnerable to predators and harsh weather. Some perish in the course of this merciless process. But those who emerge out of it are ready to take on the world all by themselves.

Why do some animals lay hundreds of eggs at a time?

Animals like frogs and fish lay hundreds of eggs and release millions of sperms. But the entire eggs do not get fertilized and develop into new individuals. Thus, production of large number of eggs and sperms is necessary to ensure fertilization of at least a few of them.

Why do animals give birth in litters?

A litter offers some protection from predation, not particularly to the individual young but to the parents’ investment in breeding. With multiple young, predators could eat several and others could still survive to reach maturity, but with only one offspring, its loss could mean a wasted breeding season.

Why do some animals lay a lot of eggs while others only lay a few?

Because they know that they have many predators that would eat a lot of the eggs. So they produce so much eggs that eventually a sufficient number to keep the species alive will survive.

Why do mammals produce fewer offspring than amphibians?

Mammals tend to care for their young (Hence the mammary glands, pouches, etc…), and count upon a larger percentage, of a smaller number, surviving. If the litter is too large, etc…a mammal could not nurse them all, so, the limiting factor is the available milk.

How do animals protect their eggs?

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. Cockroach – Lays egg protected by hard coverings and hides them in dark places.

How do animals look after their babies?

They feed them, protect them, teach them how to survive and also groom and pamper them. Specially the animal mothers spend a lot of time taking care of their babies. A baby elephant is born blind so all the female members of the herd look after the new born baby , these females are called ‘allmothers’.

Why do some animals only have one offspring?

This allows more resources to devote to a few offspring, rather than none to alot. The evolutionary reason is that animals share genes with their offspring, each parent shares 50\%. If genes did not code for this parenting behavior (or the ability to learn it), this animal would have died out long ago.

Why do some animals lay more eggs than others?

The number of eggs produced by an animal is usually proportional to its mortality rate – the less likely for an animal to survive to reproductive age, the more eggs it will produce in order to offset the high death rate. Because it is preyed on more.

Why do animals have different methods of giving birth?

Some of the eggs get broken or stolen by predators and many of the chicks get eaten by predators, which means that very few survive. Hence the large initial numbers. Animals have varying methods of birth, because that is how they evolved to have the highest rate of success.

Why do sexually reproducing species have more offspring?

The genetic diversity of sexually produced offspring is thought to give sexually reproducing individuals greater fitness because more of their offspring may survive and reproduce in an unpredictable or changing environment. Species that reproduce sexually (and have separate sexes) must maintain two different types of individuals, males and females.