What is mating?
Q: What is mating?
A: Mating is the pairing of opposite-sex or hermaphrodite organisms, usually for sexual reproduction. It can also refer to crossing in plants and fungi.
Q: What is copulation?
A: Copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for internal fertilization.
Q: How do some aquatic species reproduce?
A: Some aquatic species spread their eggs and sperm in the water at one specific time of year, which varies between species.
Q: Can hermaphroditic species self-fertilize?
A: Yes, some hermaphroditic species can self-fertilize (autogamy). In some flowering plants this can happen within the same flower, and many gastropods and earthworms are hermaphrodite and do simultaneous copulation in pairs.
Q: Are there other behaviors associated with mating in birds?
A: Yes, in some birds mating includes behaviors such as nest-building and feeding offspring.
Q: Is artificial insemination part of animal husbandry?
A: Yes, artificial insemination of domesticated animals is part of animal husbandry.
