What is the difference between external fertilization and internal fertilization?

Answer 1

External takes place outside the female, as with fish eggs on which the male fish places his sperm. Internal fertilization, in plants and animals, takes place within the organism's structures, where the gametes are joined.

In humans, in vitro fertilization (i.e. test tube babies) is a form of external fertilization in that it bypasses the normal occurrence in the fallopian tubes, and then directly implants the fertilized egg(s) in the uterus.

Answer 2

Fertilization in animals refers to the point where a sperm meets an egg. External fertilization means the sperm and eggs meet outside the animals, usually in the water. So a male and female fish can swim alongside each other and while the female releases her eggs the male will release his sperm. Certain male fish have a specialized fin shaped like a tube. They stick that in a pore in the female and put their sperm into the female. The sperm fertilizes the eggs inside the female. That is called internal fertilization. Fish use both internal and external fertilization depending on the type of fish.

Answer 3

External fertilization occurs outside of the female's body, typically in water, where eggs and sperm are released for fertilization to occur. Internal fertilization, on the other hand, happens inside the female's body where sperm is deposited directly into the female reproductive tract to fertilize the egg.