If you think some people look perfect when they’re pregnant, wait until you see moms from the animal kingdom before they’re about to pop. They’re just precious.Bored Pandahas compiled a list of unique maternity pics that might just melt your heart. Keep scrolling for a glimpse of bulging bellies and a deep dive into how pregnancies differ from species to species.
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X-ray showed at least 6 babies in her belly and she’s due to give birth within the next week. She’s safe now at our home.
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Elephants are smart. Some would argue they’re even smarter than a few humans (read:poachers). Their brains have three times as many neurons as humans. And the babies are born really bright. Like really, really bright. Think abouthuman babiesfor a minute. What can they do? Not much at all. For quite a while. They need help feeding, dressing, bathing, moving around, even burping. An elephant on the other hand is born ready. It’s able to keep up with the herd from the minute it’s born. Scientists say this is all thanks to the extended time in mom’s womb.
We decided to give her a super extra maternity photo shoot.
According to theuniversity, “the average daily speed of the mother did not significantly change during pregnancy, birth and when moving with a newborn calf, except for a small dip in daily speed on the day of birth itself.” It turns out the mother elephants were just as fast the day before giving birth, as they were the day after.“We speculate that this ability ‘to keep up’ may underpin why elephants have the longest gestation period [pregnancy] of any mammal in order to facilitate an advanced state of foetal physical development, and may have evolved to help elephant herds stay together,” the lead author, Dr Lucy Taylor from the University of Oxford is quoted as saying.
According to theuniversity, “the average daily speed of the mother did not significantly change during pregnancy, birth and when moving with a newborn calf, except for a small dip in daily speed on the day of birth itself.” It turns out the mother elephants were just as fast the day before giving birth, as they were the day after.
“We speculate that this ability ‘to keep up’ may underpin why elephants have the longest gestation period [pregnancy] of any mammal in order to facilitate an advanced state of foetal physical development, and may have evolved to help elephant herds stay together,” the lead author, Dr Lucy Taylor from the University of Oxford is quoted as saying.
I believe the word is gravid, as in with eggs.
On the other end of the preggie spectrum (for mammals) is an animal called the Virginia opossum, found in North America. And the rare water opossum, found in South America. According toGuinness World Records, “On rare occasions, gestation periods of as low as eight days have been recorded for some of these species.”
The marsupial moms can have up to 13 babies at a time. Unlike elephants, the babies are far from ready for life when they’re born. After birth, they crawl straight into their mother’s pouch. They stay there for at least two months. They keep cozy, nursing and feeding until they’re ready to face the big, wide world.
While elephants are born ready, aphids are born pregnant! Thebugsreproduce at a rapid rate, and don’t even need a mate. The females can birth up to twelve live babies at a time. Most of which are also already pregnant. They’re considered pests to many farmers and gardeners. And it’s no surprise why. “Because each adult aphid can produce up to 80 offspring in a matter of a week, aphid populations can increase with great speed," warned theUniversity of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
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I feel silly even typing this, but here is some context: My spouse and I became fosters to this adorable, abandoned cat that was hanging around my parent’s backyard in freezing weather (Feb 29). We fostered her through an official program that took care of all her medical needs. They told us she was not chipped, but confirmed she was already spayed. We both knew nothing about cats, but we ended up falling in love with her and we officially adopted her a few weeks ago.She always had big nipples (we were told she may have had a litter before) so it was not a red flag. That is, until now. She has put on some healthy weight (she was emaciated when we first found her), but a lot of it seems to be in her belly area. I know it sounds ridiculous but we can’t help but think she is pregnant.I have an appointment with the vet in 3 days (the earliest they could get me in), but I’m a little anxious thinking about the possibility she may seriously be expecting. I am wondering if this has ever happened before (an allegedly spayed cat being pregnant). I am also wondering if there could be any other reason my cat looks like this?
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Indrė Lukošiūtė
Inga Korolkovaite
Animals