PANDUANHEWAN · INDONESIA
Oviparous, viviparous and ovoviviparous animals of Indonesia
What oviparous (egg-laying), viviparous (live-bearing) and ovoviviparous mean, with Indonesian animal examples of each.
Animals reproduce in three main ways: oviparity (laying eggs), viviparity (giving birth to live young) and ovoviviparity (eggs hatch inside the mother before birth). Of the 261 Indonesian animals in this guide, 162 are oviparous, 82 viviparous and 17 ovoviviparous.
Examples of oviparous animals in Indonesia
Reproduction by laying eggs: the eggs leave the mother’s body and develop and hatch outside it.
| Name | Group | Note |
|---|---|---|
| American cockroach Periplaneta americana | Invertebrates | Eggs are laid inside a capsule (ootheca) holding about 14–16 eggs. |
| Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus | Birds | — |
| Asian Common Toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus | Amphibians | — |
| Asian Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica | Birds | — |
| Asian honey bee Apis cerana | Invertebrates | — |
| Asian House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus | Reptiles | — |
| Asian water monitor Varanus salvator | Reptiles | — |
| Asian Weaver Ant Oecophylla smaragdina | Invertebrates | Only queens lay eggs; unfertilised eggs develop into males. |
| Bali myna Leucopsar rothschildi | Birds | — |
| Banded krait Bungarus fasciatus | Reptiles | — |
| Banded Malaysian coral snake Calliophis intestinalis | Reptiles | — |
| Barn owl Tyto alba | Birds | — |
| Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica | Birds | — |
| Black Sunbird Leptocoma sericea | Birds | — |
| Black-capped lory Lorius lory | Birds | — |
| Black-naped Fruit Dove Ptilinopus melanospilus | Birds | — |
| Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea | Birds | — |
| Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis | Birds | — |
| Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike Hemipus hirundinaceus | Birds | — |
| Black-winged myna Acridotheres melanopterus | Birds | — |
| Blue Pansy Junonia orithya | Invertebrates | — |
| Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus | Birds | — |
| Blyth's Hornbill Rhyticeros plicatus | Birds | — |
| Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus | Birds | — |
| Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta | Birds | — |
| Brown-banded Bamboo Shark Chiloscyllium punctatum | Marine | Lays rounded egg cases, two at a time. |
| Brown-throated Sunbird Anthreptes malacensis | Birds | — |
| Cave Swiftlet Collocalia linchi | Birds | — |
| Cerulean Kingfisher Alcedo coerulescens | Birds | — |
| Chalky Percher Diplacodes trivialis | Invertebrates | — |
| Collared kingfisher Todiramphus chloris | Birds | — |
| Common Four-clawed Gecko Gehyra mutilata | Reptiles | — |
| Common hill myna Gracula religiosa | Birds | — |
| Common Iora Aegithina tiphia | Birds | — |
| Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos | Birds | — |
| Common Southeast Asian Tree Frog Polypedates leucomystax | Amphibians | Eggs are laid in a foam nest on vegetation or rocks at the edge of shallow pools. |
| Common Wolf Snake Lycodon capucinus | Reptiles | — |
| Coppersmith Barbet Psilopogon haemacephalus | Birds | — |
| Crab-eating Frog Fejervarya cancrivora | Amphibians | — |
| Crested serpent eagle Spilornis cheela | Birds | — |
| Crocodile monitor Varanus salvadorii | Reptiles | — |
| Crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci | Marine | Broadcast spawner: males and females release gametes into the sea, fertilisation happens in the water, and the larvae drift as plankton. |
| Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis | Birds | — |
| Double-spotted Gecko Gekko monarchus | Reptiles | — |
| Emerald Tree Skink Lamprolepis smaragdina | Reptiles | — |
| Eurasian tree sparrow Passer montanus | Birds | — |
| False gharial Tomistoma schlegelii | Reptiles | — |
| Flat-tailed House Gecko Hemidactylus platyurus | Reptiles | — |
| Flores hawk-eagle Nisaetus floris | Birds | — |
| Freckle-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos analis | Birds | — |
| Giant clam Tridacna gigas | Marine | Broadcast spawner: eggs and sperm are released into the water, fertilisation is external, and the larvae drift as plankton before settling. Adults are simultaneous hermaphrodites. |
| Glossy Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta | Birds | — |
| Golden-bellied Gerygone Gerygone sulphurea | Birds | — |
| Gray-cheeked Green-Pigeon Treron griseicauda | Birds | — |
| Gray-rumped Treeswift Hemiprocne longipennis | Birds | — |
| Great Crested Canopy Lizard Bronchocela jubata | Reptiles | — |
| Great Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii | Birds | — |
| Great Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina | Invertebrates | — |
| Great Egret Ardea alba | Birds | — |
| Great Mormon Swallowtail Papilio memnon | Invertebrates | — |
| Greater bird-of-paradise Paradisaea apoda | Birds | — |
| Greater blue-ringed octopus Hapalochlaena lunulata | Marine | The female carries and guards her 60–100 eggs beneath her arms until they hatch, then dies soon after. |
| Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea | Birds | — |
| Green Junglefowl Gallus varius | Birds | — |
| Green Paddy Frog Hylarana erythraea | Amphibians | — |
| Green peafowl Pavo muticus | Birds | — |
| Green turtle Chelonia mydas | Marine | — |
| Hair-crested Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus | Birds | — |
| Hasselt's Toad Leptobrachium hasseltii | Amphibians | — |
| Hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata | Marine | — |
| Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides | Birds | — |
| Helmeted hornbill Rhinoplax vigil | Birds | The female is sealed inside the nest cavity for the whole incubation and chick-rearing period (can exceed 160 days) while the male brings food. |
| House Swift Apus nipalensis | Birds | — |
| Humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus | Marine | — |
| Indian Garden Lizard Calotes versicolor | Reptiles | — |
| Indo-Chinese Rat Snake Ptyas korros | Reptiles | — |
| Indonesian Speckled Carpetshark Hemiscyllium freycineti | Marine | Lays eggs in pairs; embryos develop outside the mother on yolk. |
| Javan Flying Dragon Draco volans | Reptiles | — |
| Javan hawk-eagle Nisaetus bartelsi | Birds | — |
| Javan Munia Lonchura leucogastroides | Birds | — |
| Javan pied starling Gracupica jalla | Birds | — |
| Javan Pond-Heron Ardeola speciosa | Birds | — |
| Javan spitting cobra Naja sputatrix | Reptiles | — |
| Keeled Slug Snake Pareas carinatus | Reptiles | — |
| Komodo dragon Varanus komodoensis | Reptiles | Females can also produce eggs that hatch without mating (parthenogenesis). |
| Leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea | Marine | — |
| Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis | Birds | — |
| Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel | Birds | — |
| Lime Swallowtail Papilio demoleus | Invertebrates | — |
| Little Egret Egretta garzetta | Birds | — |
| Loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta | Marine | — |
| Malayan krait Bungarus candidus | Reptiles | — |
| Malayan pit viper Calloselasma rhodostoma | Reptiles | Unlike the other Asian pit vipers on this list, which bear live young, it lays eggs; a female was observed coiled around her clutch throughout incubation. |
| Malaysian Pied-Fantail Rhipidura javanica | Birds | — |
| Maleo Macrocephalon maleo | Birds | Eggs are buried in sand warmed by the sun or geothermal heat; the parents do not incubate them, and chicks hatch fully independent and able to fly. |
| Marbled Bow-fingered Gecko Cyrtodactylus marmoratus | Reptiles | — |
| Metallic Starling Aplonis metallica | Birds | — |
| Moluccan Eclectus Eclectus roratus | Birds | — |
| Muller's Narrowmouth Frog Kaloula baleata | Amphibians | — |
| Northern Fantail Rhipidura rufiventris | Birds | — |
| Olive ridley turtle Lepidochelys olivacea | Marine | — |
| Olive-backed Tailorbird Orthotomus sepium | Birds | — |
| Oriental Long-tailed Grass Lizard Takydromus sexlineatus | Reptiles | — |
| Oriental magpie-robin Copsychus saularis | Birds | — |
| Pacific Bluetail Skink Emoia caeruleocauda | Reptiles | — |
| Pacific Reef Heron Egretta sacra | Birds | — |
| Pacific swallow Hirundo javanica | Birds | — |
| Painted Bronzeback Dendrelaphis pictus | Reptiles | — |
| Painted terrapin Batagur borneoensis | Reptiles | — |
| Palm cockatoo Probosciger aterrimus | Birds | — |
| Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata | Birds | — |
| Pig-nosed turtle Carettochelys insculpta | Reptiles | — |
| Pink-necked Green-Pigeon Treron vernans | Birds | — |
| Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus | Birds | Brood parasite: lays its eggs in other birds’ nests, and the hosts incubate and raise the chick. |
| Poisonous Rock Frog Odorrana hosii | Amphibians | — |
| Purple Heron Ardea purpurea | Birds | — |
| Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus | Birds | — |
| Red bird-of-paradise Paradisaea rubra | Birds | — |
| Red Percher Neurothemis ramburii | Invertebrates | — |
| Red-cheeked Parrot Geoffroyus geoffroyi | Birds | — |
| Reinwardt's flying frog Rhacophorus reinwardtii | Amphibians | Eggs are laid in a foam nest wrapped in leaves on trees near water. |
| Reticulated Python Malayopython reticulatus | Reptiles | — |
| Rhinoceros hornbill Buceros rhinoceros | Birds | — |
| River Toad Phrynoidis asper | Amphibians | — |
| Rock Pigeon Columba livia | Birds | — |
| Rote Island snake-necked turtle Chelodina mccordi | Reptiles | — |
| Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus | Birds | — |
| Sahul Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus | Birds | Brood parasite: lays its eggs in other birds’ nests (e.g. fantails and gerygones), and the hosts incubate and raise the chick. |
| Salmon-crested cockatoo Cacatua moluccensis | Birds | — |
| Saltwater crocodile Crocodylus porosus | Reptiles | — |
| Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata | Birds | — |
| Scarlet Skimmer Crocothemis servilia | Invertebrates | — |
| Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker Dicaeum trochileum | Birds | — |
| Schlegel's Frog Chalcorana chalconota | Amphibians | — |
| Slender Skimmer Orthetrum sabina | Invertebrates | — |
| Sooty-headed bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster | Birds | — |
| Southern cassowary Casuarius casuarius | Birds | Only the male incubates the eggs (47–61 days) and raises the chicks for about nine months. |
| Spotted dove Spilopelia chinensis | Birds | — |
| Straight-edge Red Parasol Neurothemis terminata | Invertebrates | — |
| Straw-headed bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus | Birds | — |
| Striated Heron Butorides striata | Birds | — |
| Sultan's Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia doreya | Birds | — |
| Sunda king cobra Ophiophagus bungarus | Reptiles | The female keeps her eggs in a nest of fallen leaves and guards them aggressively. |
| Sunda scops owl Otus lempiji | Birds | — |
| Tokay Gecko Gekko gecko | Reptiles | — |
| Uniform Swiftlet Aerodramus vanikorensis | Birds | — |
| Victoria crowned pigeon Goura victoria | Birds | — |
| Wallace's golden birdwing Ornithoptera croesus | Invertebrates | — |
| White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster | Birds | — |
| White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus | Birds | — |
| White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorhynchos | Birds | — |
| White-headed Munia Lonchura maja | Birds | — |
| White-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus | Birds | — |
| White-rumped shama Copsychus malabaricus | Birds | — |
| White-shouldered Triller Lalage sueurii | Birds | — |
| Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys | Birds | — |
| Yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti | Invertebrates | Eggs are laid singly on damp container or tree-hole walls and can survive drying for long periods. |
| Yellow-crested cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea | Birds | — |
| Yellow-lipped Sea Krait Laticauda colubrina | Reptiles | Unlike most sea snakes, which give birth at sea, this sea krait comes ashore to lay its eggs. |
| Yellow-vented bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier | Birds | — |
| Zebra Dove Geopelia striata | Birds | — |
| Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis | Birds | — |
Examples of viviparous animals in Indonesia
Reproduction by giving birth: the egg develops inside the female’s body and the embryo is nourished by the mother.
| Name | Group | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Agile gibbon Hylobates agilis | Mammals | — |
| Asian house shrew Suncus murinus | Mammals | — |
| Asian Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus | Mammals | — |
| Asian small-clawed otter Aonyx cinereus | Mammals | — |
| Banteng Bos javanicus | Mammals | — |
| Bearded pig Sus barbatus | Mammals | — |
| Binturong Arctictis binturong | Mammals | — |
| Black Giant Squirrel Ratufa bicolor | Mammals | — |
| Black rat Rattus rattus | Mammals | — |
| Black-striped Squirrel Callosciurus nigrovittatus | Mammals | — |
| Blacktip Reef Shark Carcharhinus melanopterus | Marine | Placental viviparity: 2–4 pups are born after about 8–9 months' gestation. |
| Bornean elephant Elephas maximus borneensis | Mammals | — |
| Bornean orangutan Pongo pygmaeus | Mammals | — |
| Bornean White-bearded Gibbon Hylobates albibarbis | Mammals | — |
| Brown rat Rattus norvegicus | Mammals | — |
| Crested black macaque Macaca nigra | Mammals | — |
| Diadem Roundleaf Bat Hipposideros diadema | Mammals | — |
| Domestic cat Felis catus | Companions | — |
| Domestic dog Canis lupus familiaris | Companions | — |
| Domestic Water Buffalo Bubalus bubalis | Mammals | — |
| Dugong Dugong dugon | Marine | — |
| Fawn Roundleaf Bat Hipposideros cervinus | Mammals | — |
| Gursky's Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae | Mammals | — |
| Horsfield's Treeshrew Tupaia javanica | Mammals | — |
| Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin Tursiops aduncus | Marine | — |
| Javan gibbon Hylobates moloch | Mammals | — |
| Javan leopard Panthera pardus melas | Mammals | — |
| Javan Lutung Trachypithecus auratus | Mammals | — |
| Javan mouse-deer Tragulus javanicus | Mammals | — |
| Javan Porcupine Hystrix javanica | Mammals | — |
| Javan rhinoceros Rhinoceros sondaicus | Mammals | — |
| Javan slow loris Nycticebus javanicus | Mammals | — |
| Javan Surili Presbytis comata | Mammals | — |
| Lar Gibbon Hylobates lar | Mammals | — |
| Large Flying-fox Pteropus vampyrus | Mammals | — |
| Lesser false vampire bat Megaderma spasma | Mammals | — |
| Lesser Long-tongued Fruit Bat Macroglossus minimus | Mammals | — |
| Lesser short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus brachyotis | Mammals | — |
| Long-tailed macaque Macaca fascicularis | Mammals | — |
| Lowland anoa Bubalus depressicornis | Mammals | — |
| Mahakam Irrawaddy dolphin Orcaella brevirostris | Mammals | — |
| Malay civet Viverra tangalunga | Mammals | — |
| Malayan porcupine Hystrix brachyura | Mammals | — |
| Malayan tapir Tapirus indicus | Mammals | — |
| Marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata | Mammals | — |
| Moor Macaque Macaca maura | Mammals | — |
| Mountain anoa Bubalus quarlesi | Mammals | — |
| Northern Common Cuscus Phalanger orientalis | Mammals | Marsupial: the young are born tiny and undeveloped and continue developing in the mother's pouch. |
| Philippine slow loris Nycticebus menagensis | Mammals | — |
| Plantain Squirrel Callosciurus notatus | Mammals | — |
| Prevost's Squirrel Callosciurus prevostii | Mammals | — |
| Proboscis monkey Nasalis larvatus | Mammals | — |
| Pygmy tarsier Tarsius pumilus | Mammals | — |
| Sambar deer Rusa unicolor | Mammals | — |
| Scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini | Marine | Placental viviparity: 12–41 pups are born after 9–10 months' gestation. |
| Selayar tarsier Tarsius tarsier | Mammals | — |
| Siamang Symphalangus syndactylus | Mammals | — |
| Silvered Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus cristatus | Mammals | — |
| Smooth-coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata | Mammals | — |
| Southern Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca nemestrina | Mammals | — |
| Southern red muntjac Muntiacus muntjak | Mammals | — |
| Spinner Dolphin Stenella longirostris | Mammals | — |
| Sulawesi babirusa Babyrousa celebensis | Mammals | — |
| Sulawesi bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus | Mammals | Marsupial: the young are born tiny and undeveloped and continue developing in the mother's pouch. |
| Sumatran elephant Elephas maximus sumatranus | Mammals | — |
| Sumatran orangutan Pongo abelii | Mammals | — |
| Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis | Mammals | — |
| Sumatran Surili Presbytis melalophos | Mammals | — |
| Sumatran tiger Panthera tigris sondaica | Mammals | — |
| Sun bear Helarctos malayanus | Mammals | — |
| Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi | Mammals | — |
| Sunda Colugo Galeopterus variegatus | Mammals | — |
| Sunda pangolin Manis javanica | Mammals | — |
| Sunda slow loris Nycticebus coucang | Mammals | — |
| Tapanuli orangutan Pongo tapanuliensis | Mammals | — |
| Tatar Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus tatar | Mammals | — |
| Thomas’s Langur Presbytis thomasi | Mammals | — |
| Timor deer Rusa timorensis | Mammals | — |
| Waigeo Spotted Cuscus Spilocuscus papuensis | Mammals | Marsupial: the young are born tiny and undeveloped and continue developing in the mother's pouch. |
| Whitetip Reef Shark Triaenodon obesus | Marine | Placental viviparity: usually 2–3 pups (range 1–5) per litter. |
| Whitish Dwarf Squirrel Prosciurillus leucomus | Mammals | — |
| Wild Boar Sus scrofa | Mammals | — |
Examples of ovoviviparous animals in Indonesia
Reproduction in which eggs develop inside the mother’s body but the embryo is not nourished by her; the young leave the body after hatching.
| Name | Group | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bluespotted Fantail Ray Taeniura lymma | Marine | Bears up to 7 pups; embryos first use yolk, then receive nutritious uterine fluid (aplacental viviparity). |
| Bluespotted Maskray Neotrygon caeruleopunctata | Marine | Pups are born live (the 'Bali form', now N. caeruleopunctata, is born at about 17 cm disc width); embryos also receive nutritious uterine fluid. |
| Common Sun Skink Eutropis multifasciata | Reptiles | This skink gives birth to live young instead of laying eggs like most lizards. |
| Indonesian coelacanth Latimeria menadoensis | Marine | FishBase calls the African coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) 'ovoviviparous': huge eggs develop in the mother's oviduct and live young (5–29) are born. Reproductive data for the Indonesian species are very scarce, so this follows its relative. |
| Moluccan Bluespotted Maskray Neotrygon moluccensis | Marine | No species-specific data yet; classed with the live-bearing bluespotted maskray group (Neotrygon). |
| Oceanic Manta Ray Mobula birostris | Marine | Usually one pup (at most two); embryos use yolk and then nutritious uterine fluid (aplacental viviparity). |
| Oriental Bluespotted Maskray Neotrygon orientale | Marine | Pregnant females carry a single pup, born at about 12 cm disc width. |
| Oriental Whipsnake Ahaetulla prasina | Reptiles | Gives birth to live young; the eggs hatch inside the mother rather than being laid. |
| Puff-faced Water Snake Homalopsis buccata | Reptiles | Gives birth to live young; the eggs hatch inside the mother rather than being laid. |
| Reef manta ray Mobula alfredi | Marine | Usually a single pup (occasionally two) after about 12 months' gestation. The embryo has no placenta but is also fed a nutritious uterine secretion, which some sources (ADW) call aplacental viviparity. |
| Spotted seahorse Hippocampus kuda | Marine | The female deposits her eggs in the male's brood pouch; the male is 'pregnant' for 20–28 days and then releases the young. FishBase calls it ovoviviparous, while ADW classes it as oviparous because the female lays the eggs. |
| Tasselled Wobbegong Eucrossorhinus dasypogon | Marine | Eggs hatch inside the mother; embryos feed only on yolk. |
| Tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier | Marine | Unlike the blacktip and whitetip reef sharks and the hammerhead (placental), tiger shark embryos develop in the uterus without a placenta; 10–82 pups are born after 13–16 months. |
| Wagler's Pit Viper Tropidolaemus wagleri | Reptiles | Gives birth to live young; the eggs hatch inside the mother rather than being laid. |
| Whale shark Rhincodon typus | Marine | Eggs hatch inside the uterus and embryos feed only on yolk; one female was found carrying about 300 embryos. |
| White-lipped Island Pitviper Trimeresurus insularis | Reptiles | This pit viper gives birth to live young (Chester Zoo reports up to 17 per litter) rather than laying eggs. |
| White-lipped Pit Viper Trimeresurus albolabris | Reptiles | Gives birth to live young; the eggs hatch inside the mother rather than being laid. |
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