Sexual reproduction

Reproduction with two parents, a male and a female. Each makes special cells called gametes: the male's are small and can move, the female's larger with stored food. In fertilisation a male and a female gamete join into one cell, the zygote, which divides again and again and grows into a whole new living thing. Males and females of some animals look different once they are grown, like the lion's mane or the drake's green head. Each offspring gets a new mix of both parents' genes, so no two are alike, and that variety helps a population survive when its surroundings change, even though finding a partner makes it slower than asexual reproduction.