![]() But in other ways, human infants are drastically different.Ī full 15 percent of a human baby’s body weight is fat - a higher percentage than in any other species. The cells, which stretch the length of every individual muscle they are in, only grow wider and longer as we age. Like in other mammals, all the muscle cells we’ll ever have are present when we are born. “Our babies are born exceptionally underdeveloped.” “Personally, maybe it’s the anthropologist in me coming out - we are very much mammal, but we’re also kind of a very weird mammal,” says Teresa Steele, a paleoanthropologist at the University of California, Davis. Humans are born with capabilities and characteristics that look the most different from what we become as we mature. ![]() Animals that hunt other animals typically require more time to develop coordination and motor skills, abilities they need to protect themselves and capture their food. In these animals, it takes time for newborns to open their eyes, let alone walk. They don’t have to worry about escaping another species’ claws. Atop the food chain, these predators can take a more leisurely pace when it comes to growing up. Wolf pups or tiger cubs look and behave a lot different a few days after birth. “If you look at a foal when it's born, it looks like skin and bones,” Reed says - hardly any fat and just the little amount of muscle development it needs to move limbs. After gestation, these babies emerge with a higher percentage of bone and muscle making up their body weight, Reed says, so the baby has the equipment it needs to stand up. The ideal accommodations and conditions for early-walking animals typically starts in the womb. And though domesticated animals like cows aren’t often hoofing it to avoid being eaten, their wild ancestors likely did. The sooner a newborn can outrun a predator, the better their odds of survival. ![]() But savannas and grasslands offer minimal hiding spaces. Forest-dwelling species can tuck their young into the foliage and trust that it will be safe without supervision for a while - that’s what mother deer do with fawns for days at a time. “We see a lot of prey animals that are precocial, which means that they can stand and move fairly soon after birth,” Reed says.įor wild animals like zebras and giraffes that live in wide-open spaces, the only real defense they have against predators is to run. Let's hope there are more compilations in the future.Those shaky first steps from a lamb or calf serve a purpose: To evade predators. You'll also care about the baby walrus, seal and penguin, too. Will he be released into the wild or will he find a good home at another zoo? You are going to care. ![]() The story follows him through zoo nurturing until he becomes a young adult. We first see him as a tiny ball of white fluff hiding in a corner, still calling for mom. The little polar bear is found after his mother is shot by hunters. Rescued by caring humans, these stories are guaranteed to hit your "aw" response, no matter how old you are. "Growing Up Arctic" provides stories on orphaned young ones who live in the very cold: penguins, polar bears, seals and walrus. Now it looks as though the "Growing Up" episodes are being gathered into species or area specific compilations. Some of these series have made their way to DVD. "THE ANIMAL PLANET has some great series along with "Meercat Manor," "Big Cat Diary," "The Most Extreme," "E-Vet Interns," "Animal Precinct" and "Corwin's Quest." It continues to be one of the few channels families can watch together to be entertained and informed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |