Vivipary

A viviparous animal is an animal employing vivipary, a method of reproduction in which the embryo develops inside the body of the mother from which it gains nourishment, and not from an egg. Viviparous offspring live independently and require an external food supply from birth. Vivipary is best developed in placental mammals, but also occurs in many reptiles, some amphibians and a few fishes.

A viviparous plant produces seeds that germinate before becoming detached from the parent plant, as in the mangrove. They may also produce bulbils or new plants rather than seed, as in the tiger lily.

See also

• Oviparous
• Ovoviviparous
• Marsupials
• Placental mammals