Question

Are the elephant offspring identical to their parents? Or do they show differences in some of their characteristics?

Answer 1

Part 1: Reproduction in elephants

• Elephants reproduce through sexual reproduction.
• This involves the fusion of male (sperm) and female (egg) gametes.
• Elephant’s offspring contain the DNA from two parents (male and female) which have a slightly different set of alleles, that is why their offspring are similar but not identical.
• They resemble their parents in having similar body plan but they show differences in their size, body shape.