WHY ARE SOME MAMMALS’ BABIES ABLE TO RUN ALMOST AS SOON AS THEY ARE BORN?

          Almost all mammal babies grow inside their mother until they are able to breathe and feed outside, but mammal babies differ very much in the kind of help they need after birth. Human babies, for example, need the attention of their parents for many years before they are able to fend for themselves completely. Most grazing animals, on the other hand, have adapted to life on wide, open grasslands, where they are constantly at risk from attack by predators. It is important that these animals give birth to young that can stand on their own feet and run from danger almost immediately.

          Spring is the perfect time for baby animals to be born! Many animals have babies in the spring since the warmer weather makes it is easier for them to find food to feed them. Warmer weather also makes it easier for small babies to survive. Polar bears, which live in climates that are always very cold, actually have their babies during the winter while they are hibernating. When spring comes and warms things up a little, a mother bear will bring her cubs out of their cozy den for the first time and teach them how to find food for themselves. Other kinds of bears and some other large mammals also have babies during the winter, since they can nurse their babies and not have to leave their den to find food.

          There are lots of different kinds of animals living on earth. That means that there lots of very different kinds of baby animals! Even though we usually think of babies as being small and helpless when they are first born, that isn’t true for all animals. Some animals are very large even when they’re first born. Sometimes even the smallest ones are able to live on their own without any help from their parents when they are born. Keep reading to learn about some different kinds of animals and different ways that their babies are born and cared for.

          Mammals are animals that have hair or fur, are warm-blooded, and feed their babies with milk. Mammals give live birth, meaning that their babies are born from the mother’s body instead of hatching from an egg. However, there are two animals that lay eggs but are still considered mammals! They are echidnas and platypuses. Humans, elephants, cats, mice, pigs, rhinoceroses, gorillas, and many other animals are all mammals. Some are huge and some are tiny.

          Marsupials such as kangaroos, koalas, wombats, and opossums are mammals, too! When baby marsupials are born, they are very tiny and not as well developed as other mammal babies. They live in a fur-lined pouch on the outside of their mother’s belly where they nurse (drink milk) and stay safe and warm until they are big enough to come out. Even after the babies can come out of their mother’s pouch, they will still ride around on her back while they grow and learn how to survive on their own. Marsupial babies are called joeys. Almost all marsupials are nocturnal, which means they are awake at night and sleep during the day. Australia is home to most kinds of marsupials, but opossums do live in other parts of the world. In fact, the only marsupial that lives in North America is the Virginia Opossum, which can have up to 13 babies at once!

          Reptiles are cold-blooded, have backbones, have skin covered with scales, have claws on their feet, and baby reptiles’ hatch from eggs. A few kinds of snakes and lizards give live birth to their babies, but most lay eggs. Reptiles are born looking like smaller versions of their parents and are on their own almost as soon as they hatch. Their parents do not stay around to take care of them, because they aren’t really needed.

Picture Credit : Google