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They carry their offspring for almost two years before giving birth. The huge animals have the longest pregnancies of all mammals. But the 22 month gestation period is not just because of their size.
Most mammals are viviparous, giving birth to live young. [1] However, the five species of monotreme, the platypuses and the echidnas, lay eggs. The monotremes have a sex determination system different from that of most other mammals. [2] In particular, the sex chromosomes of a platypus are more like those of a chicken than those of a therian ...
In animals, the process involves a sperm fusing with an ovum, which eventually leads to the development of an embryo. Depending on the animal species, the process can occur within the body of the female in internal fertilization, or outside in the case of external fertilization. The fertilized egg cell is known as the zygote. [2] [5]
A cow giving birth. Birthing in cattle is typical of a larger mammal. A cow goes through three stages of labor during normal delivery of a calf. During stage one, the animal seeks a quiet place away from the rest of the herd. Hormone changes cause soft tissues of the birth canal to relax as the mother's body prepares for birth.
Large mammals develop at an absolute slower rate compared to small mammals. Thus, the large mammal tend have longer gestation periods than small mammal as they tend to produce larger neonate. [18] Large mammals require a longer period of time to attain any proportion of adult mass compared to small mammals. [19]
Here are 10 animal mothers that die after giving birth. For some species bringing new life into the world also serves as a final act. Here are 10 animal mothers that die after giving birth.
Marsupials give birth to a live but relatively undeveloped foetus called a joey. When the joey is born it crawls from inside the mother to the pouch. The pouch is a fold of skin with a single opening that covers the teats. Inside the pouch, the blind offspring attaches itself to one of the mother's teats and remains attached for as long as it ...
For most species, the amount a fetus grows before birth determines the length of the gestation period. Smaller species normally have a shorter gestation period than larger animals. [2] For example, a cat's gestation normally takes 58–65 days while an elephant's takes nearly 2 years (21 months). [3]