How Do Animals Grow and Reproduce?

New organisms are produced from other organisms by a process called reproduction. All living organisms reproduce. When identical cells are formed, the process is called asexual reproduction. In asexual reproduction, one individual produces offspring that are genetically identical to itself. These offspring are produced by mitosis. Mitosis is cell division. There are many invertebrates, including sea stars and sea anemone for example, that produce by asexual reproduction. When cells are formed by contributions from 2 different cells, the process is called sexual reproduction. In sexual reproduction, the new organisms are not identical to either of the original organisms. The whole process of sexual reproduction in animals begins with the formation of sperm from the male and eggs from the female. Next, the sperm and egg join together to form a zygote. Finally, the zygote grows and develops to become a baby animal.