TwinOne of two offspring produced by the same pregnancyIdentical twins can be difficult to visually distinguish especially when young, as demonstrated by brothers Billy and Bobby Mauch.Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.
FetusA fetus or foetus (; pl.: fetuses or foetuses) is the unborn offspring of a viviparousanimal that develops from an embryo. Following the embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Prenatal development is a continuum, with no clear defining feature distinguishing an embryo from a fetus.
ZygoteA zygote ( from Ancient Greekζυγωτός (zygōtós)'joined, yoked', from ζυγοῦν (zygoun)'to join, to yoke') is a eukaryoticcell formed by a fertilization event between two gametes. The zygote's genome is a combination of the DNA in each gamete, and contains all of the genetic information of a new individual organism.
GeneticsGenetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms. It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar working in the 19th century in Brno, was the first to study genetics scientifically. Mendel studied "trait inheritance", patterns in the way traits are handed down from parents to offspring over time.OffspringIn biology, offspring () are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by sexual or asexual reproduction. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny. This can refer to a set of simultaneous offspring, such as the chicks hatched from one clutch of eggs, or to all offspring produced over time, as with the honeybee. Offspring can occur after mating, artificial insemination, or as a result of cloning.
EmbryoAn embryo ( ) is the initial stage of development for a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sperm cell. The resulting fusion of these two cells produces a single-celled zygote that undergoes many cell divisions that produce cells known as blastomeres.
MammalClass of animals with milk-producing glandsA mammal (from Latin mamma 'breast') is a vertebrate animal of the classMammalia (). Mammals are characterized by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones. These characteristics distinguish them from reptiles and birds, from which their ancestors diverged in the Carboniferous period over 300 million years ago.
SiblingOne of two or more individuals having at least one parent in common A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the other person. A male sibling is a brother, and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. A sister (female sibling) carrying her brother (male sibling). While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separately (such as foster care or adoption), most societies have siblings grow up together.
FrequencyFrequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. Frequency is an important parameter used in science and engineering to specify the rate of oscillatory and vibratory phenomena, such as mechanical vibrations, audio signals (sound), radio waves, and light. The interval of time between events is called the period. It is the reciprocal of the frequency.
VertebrateSubphylum of chordatesVertebrates (), also called craniates, are animals with a vertebral column and a cranium. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylumVertebrata ( ) with some 65,000 species, by far the largest ranked grouping in the phylumChordata. The vertebrates include mammals, birds, amphibians, and various classes of fishes and reptiles.
Litter (zoology)A litter is the live birth of multiple offspring at one time in animals from the same mother and usually from one set of parents, particularly from three to eight offspring. The word is most often used for the offspring of mammals, but can be used for any animal that gives birth to multiple young. In comparison, a group of eggs and the offspring that hatch from them are frequently called a clutch, while young birds are often called a brood.
twinRelated word or term.tripletRelated word or term.quadrupletRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.