- Narrator: Imagine giving birth to a 24 pound baby.
That's three times the size
of an average human newborn. Ouch.
But for kiwi birds,
giant chicks are the norm.
Females lay a single egg up to 20% of their body weight,
yet when you check out
other extreme births in the animal kingdom,
the kiwi can consider itself lucky.
Shingleback lizards also have a tough pregnancy.
These reptiles usually have one to two babies at a time,
which doesn't sound so bad,
until you realize that combined,
the babies make up a third of the mother's body weight.
That's like a human giving birth to a seven year old!
But a baby doesn't need to be big to be difficult.
Take the porcupine.
Those sharp spines protect it from predators,
but they're sometimes not so fun for Mom.
You see, baby porcupines, called porcupettes,
aren't hairless like most rodent newborns.
These guys are born fully quilled.
Normally, this isn't a problem for Mom,
since the quills are soft at birth,
and gradually harden over the next few hours.
But complications can arise
when the porcupettes are facing the wrong direction,
because their quills can get caught
in the birth canal on the way out.
Speaking of birth canals,
the spotted hyena has an interesting one.
Females have phallic-like genitalia.
The scientific term for this is pseudo-penis,
and they give birth out of the pseudo-penis,
which will sometimes rip apart in the process.
It's not only painful, it can be lethal.
In fact, about 15% of first-time mothers die giving birth.
But, believe it or not,
a species of velvet spider has it even worse.
You know how some animals chew up food for their babies?
Well, Stegodyphus lineatus takes this to a whole new level.
Right after she lays an egg sac,
the mother's tissues start to degrade.
Once the spiderlings hatch,
she regurgitates her own liquified insides,
and the babies chow down.
Nine days later, they suck up the last of her fluids,
and strike out on their own,
leaving nothing but an empty husk.
Thanks Mom.
But childbirth isn't just dangerous
or uncomfortable for mothers.
With some animals, the baby has it pretty rough.
Take the Tasmanian devil.
The mom gives birth to up to 50 joeys at a time,
each the size of a raisin.
They have to crawl from the mother's birth canal,
over her body, and into her pouch,
where they'll snuggle up for another four months.
But there's a catch.
Mom has only four nipples in her pouch.
So right from birth
the joeys are literally on a mad dash for their lives,
and only the strongest four will make it.
Talk about sibling rivalry, huh?
Overall, one thing is clear:
humans aren't the only ones who have it rough
when it comes to giving birth.
What's the craziest animal fact you know?
Tell us in the comments and thanks for watching.