Questions tagged [reproduction]
For questions about the means and methods any species, organism or entity uses to propagate itself.
147
questions
13
votes
5answers
291 views
Where are all the non-aquatic mouthbrooders?
Some fish mouthbrood. Some amphibians mouthbrood. Crocodilians carry their babies in their mouths to water. Is there a reason why there are no instances (that I know of) of terrestrial animals that ...
8
votes
4answers
388 views
Alien life interbreeding with Earth life [duplicate]
I had an idea for a planet which, millions of years ago, was accidentally contaminated with various animals, plants and microbes from Earth, and - via the planet's native aliens' bizarre reproductive ...
2
votes
3answers
148 views
Could a mammal procreate if it existed out of multiple sets of DNA in different cells? If so, how? [closed]
I was wondering about creating mammals that consist out of multiple sets of DNA and if they could procreate. I am talking about a singular being that isn't composed out of multiple seperate parts ...
38
votes
5answers
7k views
What could a reptilian race tell by candling their eggs?
I've got a D&D-inspired setting, and one of the races present are yuan-ti. They're sentient snake people with a variety of forms, ranging from mostly human-looking to basically just a giant ...
3
votes
5answers
268 views
Would having more than two sexes decrease the number of individuals required to have a sustainable population from a genetic perspective?
On a world made up of many small islands, each island cannot support a very large population. Although sometimes individuals from one island make it across the ocean to another, this is usually a ...
5
votes
2answers
284 views
Could an all-male society exist?
I'd like to create a sci-fi story with a country or planet where only men are allowed to live and they use in vitro gametogenesis and ectogenesis (artificial womb) to have children without any woman.
...
8
votes
6answers
832 views
What would prevent chimeras from reproducing with each other?
There exists a polymerization spell that allows distinct animals to combine with each other, creating an entirely new creature. The beasts in question are held in transumutation circles linked by ley ...
1
vote
1answer
153 views
How do ghouls reproduce? [closed]
In this world, ghouls are real: undead, zombie-esque creatures that consume dead flesh to survive. Unlike typical zombies, these ghouls are as intelligent as humans; they tend to build lairs near old ...
-1
votes
3answers
262 views
How many babies can a human women safely be pregnant with at once? [closed]
Most pregnancies result in 1 baby, sometimes there are twins. Every now and then there are triplets. My guess would be that 4 at once has happened before too. But 5? How about 6? Surely not 7.
How ...
10
votes
6answers
1k views
What kind of environment would favor hermaphroditism in a sentient species over regular, old sexes?
I'm trying to create alien species that is hermaphroditic, with strong sexual conflict. In essence each being tries to trick or force (by mechanical or hormonal means) its partner to take role of ...
11
votes
2answers
306 views
Speculative Biology of a Haplodiploid Humanoid Species
In haplodiploid sex-determination system, female/diploid individuals are developed from fertilized eggs by means of sexual reproduction, while male/haploid individuals are developed from unfertilized ...
14
votes
3answers
2k views
Could a cockatrice have parasitic embryos?
I had an idea to make cockatrices "realistic" (as in make a bit more sense) for what ever reason the noble cockatrice has evolved to use other species eggs for its own. It does this by "sitting" on ...
1
vote
12answers
509 views
How could a same sex couple have children?
In my current work, I want same sex couples to be fully integrated in society. As it is set in a medieval fantasy world, survival of the human species relies on having children, so same sex couples ...
14
votes
12answers
4k views
Is a naturally all “male” species possible?
The Orville has Mochlans, an (almost) all-male species. They reproduce in some unexplained method that produces a fertilized egg.
The issue here is that if one of the mates lays an egg and the other ...
9
votes
3answers
230 views
How can a long lived species that reproduces slowly prevent themselves from going extinct?
We Eldar are a beautiful race that have a maximum life span of 500 years. We are stronger, faster, more intelligent, sexier, and frankly just superior to you humans in every way. However, we cannot ...
15
votes
6answers
5k views
How could a female member of a species produce eggs unto death?
As far as I am aware, female mammals cannot produce eggs (as in ova) after a certain age/maturation.
How could the female produce eggs for an unlimited amount of time, resulting in a 'queen' mammal ...
10
votes
4answers
384 views
Could you engineer a baby for a same sex couple?
Kikazaru and Protogon have been fierce rivals in the designer baby industry/artificial wombs since time and memorial, but Kikazaru is looking to finally best its rival by introducing a new scheme: ...
6
votes
2answers
405 views
How long would gestation period be for dwarfs?
Dwarfs are intelligent creatures, with stronger bones and muscles but smaller than humans. They live mostly under ground (caves, mines, etc.) and reproduce sexually.
How long the gestation period ...
7
votes
2answers
236 views
What circumstances would ensure that hybrid species of frankencats are produced in the wild naturally?
I am a mad scientist with an intelligence matching Albert Einstein and Steven Hawking, and plan to create a new species of animal. After watching Napeoleon Dynanite, widely considered by critics to be ...
20
votes
15answers
6k views
If angels and devils are the same species, why would their mortal offspring appear physically different?
Angels were all originally part of the same race before the war in heaven, when the ones that rebelled were cast out and sent to hell. The humans on earth were similar to angels, but without the ...
171
votes
19answers
30k views
Russian Dolls - How do they reproduce?
Warning picture showing dissected Russian Doll
My theory
I believe that Russian Dolls reproduce asexually. They are born pregnant. At the time of birth, the outer doll dies. What is now the outer ...
1
vote
3answers
237 views
Self selective breeding humans [closed]
Many dogs, as well as other animals, were bred to the point of becoming nothing but mere tools or toys.
For example, wolves certainly were already strong, fast, or intelligent creatures but some ...
29
votes
25answers
9k views
Elf-like race: What could prevent overpopulation?
For an elf-like race whose people do not age beyond physical maturity (the accumulated DNA damage associated with aging does not occur), what would prevent overpopulation?
This elf-like race is ...
11
votes
8answers
4k views
How can I maintain the demigod powers of my clan while ensuring the purity of its bloodline?
We, the house of Habsburg, are a royal family that descend from the gods. Our founder, Cersei Habsburg, conquered Europe and brought peace and stability to the dregs of the continent. After taking her ...
5
votes
5answers
757 views
Why would a species require multiple inseminations in order to reproduce?
The Eldar are a psychic species with a similar body design to humanity within a galaxy-wide empire. They are far more advanced than other races, technologically and philosophically. Eldar have a ...
8
votes
6answers
398 views
How can a planet full of zombies reproduce and maintain its population?
How can we have a world that is inhabited only by zombies and yet continues to be populated?
For the purposes of this question, I envisage the type of zombie that has been infected by a virus, is ...
7
votes
10answers
375 views
Logical reason why would the bunker population use Wastelander DNA samples?
It’s been a little over 190 years since WWIII, AD 2157. Most of the surviving human population live in small farming settlements, tribal villages, or, if lucky, United City States. But, there exists a ...
0
votes
3answers
249 views
How can I alter humans to allow them the ability to choose the sex of their child in the ancient world?
Research shows that some creatures in the animal kingdom manipulate the sex of their child in order to maximize the number of grandchildren. Parents in good condition, based on health, size, dominance ...
13
votes
7answers
2k views
Why would a drider lay only a small clutch of eggs?
In a very soft-science world, in a lush forest far away from civilization and their laws, especially the one about squares and cubes, lives a young, female drider. One day, while hunting for dire-boar ...
12
votes
8answers
4k views
How could an abortion cause infertility in a witch?
Orgone is the natural life energy of the cosmos and the lifeforce which allows the body to function. It is used to perform spells, and constantly regenerates after use at different rates for an ...
5
votes
2answers
144 views
Pangenesis and alien life
Darwin's hypothetical mechanism of inheritance was called pangenesis, whereby the body continually produced particles of information - gemmules - which aggregated in the gonads, and that that the ...
6
votes
6answers
865 views
Pros and cons of hermaphroditic vs sexual species?
Between a species that is hermaphroditic and a species that has males and females, then what would be the pros and cons of either one from a biological standpoint?
Anything not regarding the biology ...
10
votes
3answers
510 views
Is it plausible to make human gametes from different parent chromosomes?
I'm creating a near future world where laboratories could create human gametes (sperm & ova) using chromosomes from different people. So theoretically we could take 1st chromosome from a 1st ...
15
votes
6answers
2k views
Hypothetical maximum number of embryos from one woman?
I am working on a setting in which there are a very limited number of human females remaining, and the intent is to repopulate as quickly as possible. Given a modern level of medical technology, what ...
5
votes
2answers
133 views
Why should magical created sand-bugs never stop multiplying?
My world is a medieval-magical setting like in "The Dark Eye".
An extinct, magical elves-race had a technique to raise "bugs" from sand, but other materials were possible too. Those bugs usually had a ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
Bioengineered reversible sterility
The Humern empire is vast, unbelievably powerful and (in certain matters) brutally authoritarian.
One such issue is that of reproduction. In order to ensure that all subjects of the Empire remain ...
2
votes
1answer
235 views
What would humanoid hermaphrodite family units look like? [closed]
My elves are hermaphrodites, but they need another partner to actually reproduce. Their pregnancies last for about two years, and pregnancy is very physically tolling. They usually give birth to one ...
9
votes
4answers
538 views
Why would an entire biosphere evolve to reproduce with three parents instead of two?
So I have an alien biosphere in which trisexual reproduction predominates. As far as we can tell, trisexual reproduction does not offer an advantage when it comes to shuffling genes. The biological ...
13
votes
7answers
3k views
Why are cambions unable to reproduce amongst each other?
There is an ancient, satanical practice that is performed in this society called the sabbatical. This ritual takes the form of a festival, in which witches get together and discuss recent events, ...
3
votes
3answers
300 views
How can a change to the male refractory period affect the hierarchial structure of the family? [closed]
In this world, the cost of reproduction for males is higher due to the refractory period being much longer. After ejaculations occurs, the testes must take time to produce sperm once again. This can ...
2
votes
5answers
984 views
Is the Concept of Multiple Fantasy Races Scientifically Flawed? [closed]
Many fantasy worlds have multiple humanoid species (elves, orcs, humans, etc) living in the same world, in addition to that, they often have the ability to interbreed. And I can't help but question ...
3
votes
1answer
141 views
Plant-Animal reproduction
I'm designing an Anthropomorphic Lu-pine. (Get it? Cuz it's technically a tree, but it looks like a werewolf.) They are mobile, omnivorous plants, slightly larger than the average person. They are ...
7
votes
3answers
256 views
2-Dimensional sexual polymorphism - What chromosome system would allow this kind of reproduction?
"Polymorphism" is the name for when members of the same species exhibit different physical forms. The difference between male and female phenotype is an example of polymorphism in humans (and mammals/...
-5
votes
2answers
126 views
Supporting Larger Litter Size In Rabbit-Women With Minimal Deviations?
I had an idea for a race that is humans alchemically fused with various animals. One of the sub-varieties is rabbit-people, who have the famed bunny fertility. How might the bodies of the women be ...
0
votes
1answer
169 views
Realistic Shapeshifter Attempt
Imagine a sessile, multi-cellular slime like organism (or whatever necessary) awaits in a burrow or along a tree branch. Then an animal lands in its ooze and is trapped and soon paralyzed by its venom ...
5
votes
5answers
342 views
How can I use magic to make childbirth easier?
Going through labour is an intense and painful process that can last anywhere from 8 to 18 hours. It was also very dangerous for women during the middle ages. The lack of medicine and healthcare led ...
-1
votes
1answer
92 views
Different Rates of Twins Across Different Races? [closed]
I heard recently that different races have different rates of twins/other multiple births, with individuals of Asian descent being the least likely to have multiple births, while those of African ...
12
votes
4answers
1k views
Are reproductive and excretory systems inherently linked? Could life evolve differently?
As far as I have been able to determine, the majority of life reuses the same plumbing for reproductive and digestive/excretory systems. In fact, the anus is believed to be derived from the male ...
-3
votes
3answers
192 views
Preventing dumb self-replicating machines to take over the humanity and potential case for the Fermi paradox [duplicate]
It could be that the solution to the Fermi paradox is that civilizations of biological creatures are typically destroyed due to being taken over by machines that are much dumber than the original ...
22
votes
9answers
3k views
What effect would a means of reproduction without pregnancy have on the population?
In sci-fi, we can find the concept of artificial fertilization and incubator quite commonly. I work in a company that's heavily involved in that technology, so I became curious to adapt this to my ...
