In what ways do some animals reproduce?

Answer 1

There are lots of ways that animals can reproduce.
Some very simple organisms can simply divide.

More complicated animals reproduce by getting a sperm and an egg together. Sperm and eggs are called gametes and have half the genetic material you need to make a new organism. Sperm is usually passed from a male to a female and this is called sexual reproduction but occasionally animals have both male and female organs and are called hermaphrodites. Hermaphrodites usually pass sperm to each other, although under some circumstances they can fertilise themselves.

From animals kept in captivity we have discovered that some organisms like reptiles that are know to reproduce sexually, can occasionally lay fertilised eggs even though they have not had any contact with males of the same species. This may be an adaptation to enable a species to reproduce in the most difficult circumstances.