What are oviparous animals? Give two examples of oviparous animals.

Oviparous animals are organisms that reproduce by laying eggs, with embryonic development occurring entirely outside the mother's body within the protective egg structure. After fertilization (which may be internal or external), the developing embryo receives all necessary nutrients from the yolk and other egg components rather than directly from the maternal body. The egg provides a self-contained environment with food reserves, water, and a protective shell or membrane that shields the developing embryo from physical damage, dehydration, and microbial infection until hatching occurs.

Common examples of oviparous animals include chickens (birds) and frogs (amphibians). Chickens practice internal fertilization, and hens lay hard-shelled eggs that are incubated either by the mother's body heat or artificial warmth until chicks hatch after approximately 21 days. Frogs, conversely, exhibit external fertilization, laying soft, jelly-coated eggs in water where they develop into tadpoles before metamorphosing into adult frogs. Oviparity represents an extremely widespread reproductive strategy across the animal kingdom, seen in virtually all birds, most reptiles, all amphibians, most fish, all insects, and even a few unusual mammals (platypus and echidna). This strategy offers advantages including the ability to produce multiple offspring simultaneously, freedom for the mother to seek food or escape predators during embryonic development, and reduced physiological burden compared to pregnancy, though it typically involves less parental investment and protection than viviparous (live-birth) reproduction.