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The mammalian female reproductive tract produces the female gamete (ovum, pl. ova),

delivers it to a site where it can be fertil­ized by the male gamete (spermatozoon), pro­vides an environment for the development and growth of the embryo, and expels the fetus when it is capable of survival outside of the mother’s body.

The female organs of reproduc­tion include two ovaries, two uterine tubes (also called oviducts), the uterus, the vagina, and the vulva (Fig. 26-1). The ovum is released from the ovary and enters the open end of the uterine tube. Fertilization normally occurs within the uterine tube during passage of the ovum from the ovary to the uterus. Within the uterus, the fertilized ovum, now a zygote, develops into an embryo and then into a fetus and finally passes out of the uterus through the vagina and vulva as a newborn (neonate). Table 26-1 compares the anatomies of the reproduc­tive tracts in adult nonpregnant farm animals.

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Source: Frandson Rowen D. et al.. Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals. 7th Edition. — John Wiley & Sons,2013. — 520 p.. 2013

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