The Boroviak Lab

Curious embryo fact 25/25

The Virginia opossum has the shortest gestation period of all mammals.

After 12 days, opossum babies are born extremely underdeveloped, resembling tiny jellybeans.

They immediately crawl into their mother’s pouch for continued growth and protection!

Curious embryo fact 24/25

Human sperm are amongst the smallest cells of the body.

They are remarkable swimmers, capable of traveling up to 15cm per hour and surviving for up to 5 days inside the female reproductive tract.

All of this increases the chances of fertilization!

Curious embryo fact 22/25

Placentation strategies are highly variable amongst species.

Cattle, sheep and deer have evolved less invasive placentas, allowing for a quicker recovery post-birth.

This is crucial for their survival in environments where predators are a constant threat.

Curious embryo fact 21/25

The human fertilised egg (zygote) is 0.1mm, the size of a speck of dust.

At 4 weeks, the human embryo is about 1mm, similar to a poppy seed!

By the end of 8 weeks, the embryo is 2.5cm with arms and legs - imagine a grape with tiny limbs!

#devbio #embryo #reproduction