Animal Reproductive Strategies

Flashcards covering animal reproductive strategies, focusing on examples like flamingos and octopuses, and key survival concepts.

Flamingo breeding strategy

Laying two eggs where the second is a backup; if the first chick thrives, the second is not fed to ensure survival of one strong offspring.

Shallow water egg breeding

Typically lasts from one to three months, after which offspring hatch.

Deep water habitat survival

Cold, dark, and dangerous conditions lead to a strong survival instinct, requiring octopus babies to be well-developed at hatching and mothers to endure prolonged brooding.

Prolonged brooding period

An extended duration a mother spends caring for and protecting her eggs, common in deep-water species, leading to advanced offspring development.

Granulated Boreal Pacifica Brooding

An octopus species observed to have the longest egg brooding period (53 months).

"Safety in numbers" reproduction

A strategy of producing many small offspring that are easier to hide from predators, with the hope that some will survive.

"Chunky offspring" reproduction

A strategy of producing fewer, larger, and stronger offspring with a higher likelihood of individual survival.

Semolcarpi (Semelparity)

A reproductive strategy where an organism reproduces only once in its lifetime and then dies, often providing its body as the first meal for its offspring.

Octopus maternal sacrifice

A mother octopus stays with her eggs for months without feeding, ensures they mature, and then dies when the eggs hatch, often becoming the first meal for her offspring.