Animal Pregnancy Stages

The development of animals is extremely interesting, because we get to see how it is similar and how it is different from the development of human beings in the womb. In the development of animals, the new life grows in its own right and in preparation for its own children.

  1. Early Cellular Changes

    • Immediately after conception occurs, cleavage of the cell into many smaller cells occurs. They come together in a form known as the blastula. The cells begin to take on different positions in relation to one another. When they are doing this, the cells-which are now an embyro- are referred to as being in the gastrula stage. Due to this process, the cell has three germ layers, known as the ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm.

    Formation of Organs

    • One of the most fascinating processes of the pregnancy cycle is the creation of organs in the womb. Organogenesis is the process of organ and tissue formation. This process can occur because the three germ layers are now interacting with one another. Instead of the typical breakdown from organ to tissues, we are looking at the build up process of these materials. Once the organs have been formed, the cells begin to move to where they are going to remain for the organism's life. Virtually all of the distinct features of the body are formed at this point. In a human's pregnancy, the sexual organs could be used to determine the gender of the baby.

    Preparation for the Future

    • Even at this early stage of life, the body begins to prepare itself for future generations. Most of the cells in the body are referred to as somatic cells. However, there are also germ cells which are mainly composed of gametes. These cells are for the developing organism's own sexual reproduction in the future. The germ cells will go into the sexual organs of the developing fetus. However, this process is a continual one. Gametes, which allow the animal to produce a child during sexual intercourse, will not appear until the creature is sexually mature. Sexually maturity in animals is the equivalent of puberty in human beings.