Animal Babies
See how baby animals grow up Born or Hatched? · The First Days · A Total Change · Learning to Live · Staying Safe · All Grown Up. Some baby animals can walk within minutes of being born — while others are so tiny and helpless they can't even open their eyes.
Ages 7–10
What's inside
Born or Hatched? — two ways to begin
Every animal has to begin life somehow, and there are two main ways it can happen. Some babies grow inside their mother and are born alive, all wriggly and ready. Others start life inside an egg, safe in its shell, until they're big enough to hatch out into the world.
The First Days — helpless babies and their parents
The first days of a baby animal's life can be very different depending on who it is. Some are up and running almost at once. But many are born tiny, blind and totally helpless — and for those, staying alive depends entirely on the care of a parent.
A Total Change — when a baby becomes something new
Most babies grow up looking like smaller versions of their parents. But a few animals do something far stranger and more magical: they completely rebuild their bodies as they grow, changing into a creature that looks nothing like the baby they started as. This astonishing makeover has a name — metamorphosis.
Learning to Live — playing, copying and being taught
You might think animals are born just knowing what to do, and some really are. But many of the cleverest animals have a lot to learn before they can look after themselves — and their favourite way to learn is the same as yours: playing.
Staying Safe — how babies avoid danger
For a baby animal, the world is a dangerous place. They're small, slow and tasty-looking to hunters, so a baby's biggest job is simply to stay alive long enough to grow up. Luckily, nature has given them some brilliant ways to keep safe.
All Grown Up — ready to live on their own
After all the growing, learning, hiding and playing, there comes a day for every animal when it is finally ready. It has become big enough, strong enough and clever enough to look after itself. The baby is all grown up — and that means it's time to say goodbye and step out into the world alone.
Keep exploring
Other languages
Loading LeoNes…