oviparous
adjectiveUK /əʊˈvɪpərəs/
US /oʊˈvɪpərəs/
Animals that are oviparous lay eggs instead of having babies that grow inside them.
Birds and turtles are oviparous animals because they lay eggs.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. Producing young by means of eggs that are laid and hatch outside the body.
The oviparous nature of the species means the young develop outside the mother.
3. Relating to or characteristic of animals that reproduce through laid eggs.
Scientists studied the oviparous habits of the local frog population.
4. In zoology, describing reproduction where embryos develop in eggs expelled from the body.
Fish are often oviparous, releasing thousands of eggs into the water.