What is the life cycle of a sea snake?

Answer 1

Calf

Once born, the cow is actually called a calf. Male calves, if left intact, are called bull calves, castrated male calves are called steer calves, and female calves are called heifer calves. The calf (in this case a heifer calf) will instinctively start feeding on its mothers milk nearly immediately after being born. They will be very wobbly of course, and are fun to watch sort of like someone who has way too much to drink. The mother's initial milk, called colostrum, is extremely important during the calves first 24 - 48 hours of life as it contains immunoglobins and antibodies critical to the calf's life, and other vitamins and minerals, protein and energy needed to give the calf a kick start. If a calf won't get milk on it's own, you need to find a way to get it to them to ensure their survival. After that critical period, production farms, especially dairy farms, will start feeding powdered milk along with grain, hay, and water until weaning at 3 months of age. At many other ranches and farms with beef cattle, as well as those few farms with naturally raised dairy cattle, nature is allowed to take its course in the cow-herd, and producers let the calf feed with its mother until the weaning period at around 6-10 months old.

Heifer

At the 6 to 10 month weaning period, the calf "magically" turns into a Heifer (female bovine that has not calved). By now, the heifer should be well adjusted to grazing on fresh green grass in the pasture, or, as is the case with most dairy heifers, in production facilities eating corn, grain, and hay in its pen or stall.

Puberty in the heifer comes when they reach around 8 to 9 months of age (some breeds are earlier or later than others), though they are not fully ready to be bred by the time they are 15 months old. Some heifers might have been born later in the year, or might have smaller size so they will not be able to be bred during their first go round. It is important that they get a good, healthy start in life, to allow for a maximum number of calves in their life for the benefit of the rancher's production. Heifers bred too small could end up with calving problems in the future, as well as problems raising a healthy calf when they are still in the growing stage. Though target age is around 396 days (15 months), her weight should be 60% or more of the herd's average mature weight in order to raise a good-sized calf and be large enough to carry the calf through to parturition safely. Age is important yes, but not so important as her weight relative to the rest of the main cowherd.

Cow

Heifers that are settled are most often called bred heifers, due to the fact that they have not officially had a calf yet, although there is nothing wrong with calling them a cow at this point. Cows have a similar gestation period (pregnancy time) as humans which is of course, 9 months or more accurately, an average of ~285 days. With this in mind, if you follow the gestation time table, the cow or bred heifer will give birth at when she is 24-27 months old.

To prepare for the cow to have a calf, she will start producing milk, or lactating. Nutrition needs start to gradually increase in her first trimester, and keep increasing, past when the calf is born, to peak 3 months after parturition (birth). First-calf heifers need to be watched for calving problems, much more so than mature cows do because their pelvic area isn't as "worn" as mature cows are, so dystocia or calving problems are more than likely to develop with heifers delivering their first calf. Once the calf is born, the cow will feed her baby until weaning time when the calf is 6 to 10 months of age. The cow is allowed rest for at least 45 to 60 days to get her estrous cycle back up to normal before she is bred again, continuing the cycle. Meanwhile, the calf is still at mother's side. It's important to note that first-calf heifers are still growing along with their new calf, as well as at this time they loose their baby teeth which adds stress to both the mother and the calf. First-calf heifers tend to raise smaller calves than the fully grown mature cows because of these added stressors, along with the expectations of providing enough milk to sustain and keep the calf growing and healthy.

The average cow will stay productive in a breeding herd for 7 to 12 years if no serious disease or physical problems develop. Some cows have been known to live longer than 12 years; a fair few have been able to be productive up into their early 20's. Depending on her breeding, British breed-type cows such as Angus, Red Angus, Hereford and Shorthorns mature at 1200 to 1600 lbs. Continental breed-type cows will mature slightly to much larger than British breeds do, sometimes up to 1800 lbs.

Answer 2

From what I have researched, this is what I've found about a sea cucumber's life cycle. This is what I wrote for my Bio Project (Sophomore year). I didn't find the scientific names or anything, BUT . . . here ya go!

(Please do NOT copy this work. It would be a little pathetic of you to steal a Sophomore's Report on Sea Cukes, you know. Have a little self worth and at least mess up the words and stuff.)

Reproduction and Growth

To determine the gender of a sea cucumber is more difficult than other organisms. In order to discover the sex, one must look at crushed gonadal filaments under a microscope and examine the gametes, or sex cells. The sperm are easily depicted because of the large round head and tail, as is the ovum, or eggs, which are also large and ovoid. Other than this method, there is no other physical way to tell.

Some sea cucumbers, like most holothurians, are known for their ability to reproduce asexually through a process known as fission. So far, there are approximately 10 species known that have been reported to reproduce using this method. There is also one species that has coelomic development in which the young break through the female's body wall. However, neither case is counted for the majority of these animals. In actuality, most sea cucumbers broadcast, or release, their eggs and sperm into the water, and others are brooding types that lay eggs and carry them in a small pouch on the dorsal surface.

Sea cucumbers spawn every year, and this occurs when there is a signal. A signal in this case refers to environmental cues and stimulation from other sea animals' released sex cells. Examples of these situations are water temperature or a plankton bloom. Spawning of sea cucumbers normally takes place from the months of June to August. At this time, sea cucumbers assume a "cobralike" posture in which the front end is elevated off the sea floor. It is known that a single sea cucumber can produce approximately 1000 gametes. However, sometimes the effort of shedding gametes is wasted, because if female and male sea cucumbers have too great a distance between them, the ova is unable to be fertilized. In addition, the eggs are often ingested by other fish.

When the sex cells of the sea cucumber are broadcast into the water, the eggs become fertilized and hatch. From then on, the tiny planktonic sea cucumber larva drifts along the currents. After approximately 70 days, the sea cucumber is no longer in the embryonic state and finally settles down on the sea floor as a juvenile. In the juvenile stage, these animals are extremely cautious of predators and hide in seaweed, under stones, and in crevices. This is because they have yet to develop a hard enough exterior and are very vulnerable still.

The growth of sea cucumbers is thought to be a slow and long process that takes at least four to five years. After this amount of time, the sea cucumbers have reached adult size and weigh roughly 0.5 kilograms. Adult sea cucumbers can also grow to be up to a whopping 16 inches long. The life span of a sea cucumber is normally eight years, but it has been known for some species to live longer.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

where do sea horses live