• Question: How do animals figure out how to reproduce?

    Asked by puggy1 to Adam, Joanna, Louise S, Louise W, Marcus on 20 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Marcus Wilson

      Marcus Wilson answered on 20 Nov 2012:

      the simple answer is we dont really know. Theres lots of things that animals do that seem to be hardwired and not taught. Birds learn to fly by being taught by their parents and watching others, but insects just seem to ‘know’ how to fly.
      Evolution has seletced for animals that inherently know how to reproduce, but what this means on a genetic levels, im really not sure…really good question!

    • Photo: Joanna Giles

      Joanna Giles answered on 20 Nov 2012:

      Some traits are picked up from the baby by the parent – and that is called learned behavior. However, lots of things are actually instinctive and this is called innate behavior. This means that an animal does something without even thinking about it – like why babies know how to breath when they are born.

      An animal might know how to reproduce because of their hormones that are making them feel they need to do something – like reproduce! This instinct has evolved as a means of survival of the species – if the animal didn’t figure out how to reproduce then the whole population of that animal would just die out. Most animals have a strong reproduction instinct, but Pandas actually don’t have much reproductive drive at all, and that is why they are so close to extinction.

    • Photo: Adam Paige

      Adam Paige answered on 20 Nov 2012:

      It does seem remarkable doesn’t it? Especially things like – salmon, who swim upstream to particular quiet places in the river to where they were born in order to give birth.

      Some things we do know are about what kind of things the female of the species is looking for in a partner (evidence of health and strength such as a large elaborate tail on peacocks, or the most powerful muscular male in lions or deer). And we also understand how hormone changes at certain times of the year make animals ready for mating. And pheromones (chemical scents) from one animal can cause physical arousal in their mate, ensuring that both are ready to reproduce.

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