viviparøse

Viviparøse is the Norwegian term for viviparous, a reproductive mode in which animals give birth to live offspring that have developed inside the parent's body. Unlike oviparous species, which lay eggs, viviparous species nourish embryos internally, often via a placenta or placenta-like structures.

In many mammals, gestation occurs in the uterus with placental nourishment providing nutrients and waste removal. In other groups—such as some reptiles and fishes—the mechanisms vary and may involve different forms of direct maternal exchange; in some cases, embryos are nourished by yolk or fluids without a true placenta.

Examples include most mammals (humans, whales, bats) and a number of reptiles and fishes, including some sharks and lizards and snakes. Viviparity contrasts with oviparity (egg-laying) and sometimes with ovoviviparity, where eggs hatch inside the mother without a placental connection.

Etymology: from Latin vivus "alive" and parere "to bear"; the noun is viviparity. In botany, a related term vivipary describes seeds germinating inside fruit while still attached to the parent plant.