
Early embryonic development in animals.
Cleavage of the zygote by successive mitotic divisions
results in the formation of a blastula, a hollow ball of cells.
In gastrulation, the embryo folds in at the blastopore toward the blastocoel (cavity),
forming a gastrula with germ layers of embryonic tissues: the ectoderm and the
endoderm; some animals have an additional layer,
mesoderm.