Zygote facts for kids
A zygote is the very first cell of a new living thing, like an animal or a plant. It forms when a female's egg cell and a male's sperm cell join together. This joining process is called fertilization. After the zygote forms, it starts to divide and multiply. This growing group of cells then becomes an embryo. So, a zygote is the first step in the development of a new organism.
Zygotes are made when two special cells, the egg and the sperm, combine. These special cells are called haploid cells because they each have only half the usual number of chromosomes. When they join, they create a diploid cell, which is the zygote. A diploid cell has a full set of chromosomes, with copies from both parents. This means the zygote has all the necessary information to grow into a complete living being.
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How a Zygote Develops
The journey from a single zygote cell to a fully formed baby is amazing. Different animals handle this development in different ways.
Development Inside the Body
Some animals, like humans, keep the zygote inside the mother's body. The zygote grows and develops there until it is ready to be born. The time from the zygote forming until the baby's birth is called pregnancy. During this time, the zygote continues to divide and change, eventually forming all the parts of a new animal.
Development Inside an Egg
Other animals do not keep the zygote inside their bodies. Instead, they lay an egg. The zygote grows and develops inside this egg. It gets all the food and protection it needs from the egg. When the new animal is ready, it hatches from the egg. This can be a larva (like a caterpillar) or a miniature version of the adult animal.
Images for kids
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This image shows an egg cell being fertilized by a sperm, forming a zygote.
See also
In Spanish: Cigoto para niños
