Animal Reproduction

This is the genesis of my articles on agriculture. I will first start with this. I am going to talk on Animal Reproduction today. This topic is strange in no manner. Many of us must have done this before in our primary or secondary experience in schools.

Animal Reproduction is basically the ability in animal to give birth to their young ones. The purpose of reproduction is to ensure continuity of life. The reproductive system includes all the organs and tissues concerned with reproduction in animals.

In the farm, the animals reproduce sexually and are mostly viviparous because they bear their young ones alive. Poultry birds on the other hand are oviparous because they produce their young ones by hatching eggs after an incubation period.

I want to emphasize more on what Hormones are. They are chemical substances which co-ordinates the activities of the body. Hormones are secreted by the ductless glands in the body and transferred through the blood to the target organs in which they exert their effect.

There are many types of hormones. I would have liked to get more but here are the ones I have come up with or I gathered information on.

The different types of hormones are Androgen (Testosterone), Oestrogen, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Progesterone (Pregnancy hormone), Oxytocin, Relaxin. Prolactin. This is all I have.

I want you to note that Androgen is the only male reproductive hormone while others are female reproductive hormones. So the only male hormone listed there is Androgen.

I won't stop here in just listing them. If we look at the roles of each of those hormones a particular fresh information will be attached in our memories.

Roles/Functions of Hormones in Animal Reproduction

1. Androgen (Testosterone) – It is stimulated by interstitial cell-stimulating hormone. Androgen promotes sperm production and maintenance. It promotes the growth and development of accessory glands. It brings about puberty in male animals. It stimulates the development of male secondary sexual characteristics and sexual behavior (sex drive).

2. Oestrogen/Estrogen – This hormone is secreted by graffian follicle. It helps in the production of ovulation and oestrus for heat period. It helps in the production of eggs or ovule in female animals. It stimulates mammary gland development. It brings about puberty in female animals.

3. Oxytocin – it is secreted during pregnancy. It is secreted by the posterior pituitary gland. It helps the female animals to produce milk after birth. It helps in contraction of the female uterine muscles during pregnancy.

4. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) – It is produced by anterior pituitary of both male and female animals. It stimulates the growth of ovarian follicle in females. Helps in the development of the seminiferous tubules.

5. Progesterone (Pregnancy hormone) – It produced by the placenta during pregnancy. It is essential for the implantation of the embryo in the uterus to form foetus. It inhibits oestrus (i. e procedure ripening). It helps to set the uterus for implantation.

6. Luteinizing Hormone (LH) – It is produced by anterior pituitary gland in males and females. This is called pregnancy hormone. It causes rupture of the follicle and subsequent release of ova (i.e ovulation).

7. Relaxin – This hormone is secreted during labour by the anterior pituitary hormone before parturition. It causes the relaxation of the pelvic ligament and cartilage during parturition.

8. Prolactin – It is hormone that is concerned with lactation or milk let-down from the udder or mammary gland. It is secreted some minutes after parturition.

I hope this article was very understandable. Please if it was comment on it so that I will be encouraged to publish more articles such as this. Thank you for the support read.cash. Bye.