How Does Internal Fertilization Work For Fish?
Some fish fertilize eggs within the mother and this type of fish reproduction better coincides with the traditional idea humans have of sex. In this method the males do have an organ for sperm transfer. It’s not called a penis but a gonopodium, however its function is essentially the same. Internal fertilization can follow through in two ways, ovoviviparity and viviparity. In ovoviviparity there is no direct maternal nourishment through a placenta. The developing young feed on the yolk just as fish developing externally do. However, having the egg develop within the mother can protect it from predators. The disadvantage is that the mother isn’t able to develop as many eggs as fish practicing oviparity do. Often with fish using ovoviviparity the young are still hatched as larva. One example of a fish using ovoviviparity is the rockfish. Can Fish Have Live Births? The other method of internal fertilization is viviparity. In this case the mother directly nourishes the eggs through a struc
