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Adorable Baby Animals

A-Z of Baby Animals

By Damien SandowPublished 4 years ago 13 min read
Top Story - November 2019
16
Randombuyers.com

All babies are cute and adorable, and baby animals are no exception to it. Many animals have oddly specific and lovable baby names too. Maybe you are already familiar with puppies, kittens, calves, cubs, etc. But we will also look into some of the animals whose baby names are uncommon to us.

Most full grown animals looks fierce and scary but once upon a time in their lives they were cute babies that were pleasant to touch or to look at. Below are some examples listed from A-Z.

Alpaca

For the first 12 months from its birth, a baby alpaca is called a cria. The female is called a hembra and a male is called a macho. Alpacas look like a camel with long pointy ears, thick lips and large eyes. They have long legs and necks. Their body is covered with thick fur to keep them warm.

Alpacas are from South America and looks similar but smaller than Llamas. They have fleece like that of a sheep but silkier and hypoallergenic. Alpacas are very social creatures. They are gentle and curious and with training can also make great pets.

Beaver

Baby beavers are called kits and can swim 24 hours after birth. They are among the largest living rodents in the world; have thick fur, webbed feet and flattened, scale-covered tails and a set of translucent eyelids that enable them to see under water. Beavers have large teeth that they use to cut trees in order to build homes and dams.

All beavers need water to survive, they live in or around freshwater ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes and swamps. There are two species of beaver, the American beaver found in North America and Eurasian beavers found in Europe and Asia.

Crocodile

A crocodile baby is called a hatchling. As the baby crocodiles are ready to hatch, they make a sound or start to chirp. Then the mother crocodile digs into the nest and carries as much as 15 babies at once into the water using her mouth.

Crocodiles are the largest reptiles on Earth. They are semi aquatic creatures that are mostly found in the tropics of Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodiles have very pointed snouts unlike alligators which have wider and U shape.

Dolphin

A baby dolphin is a called a calf or a pup. The calf emerges tail first so that it doesn’t drown and swims to the surface to take its first breath of air. The calf stays with its mother for three to six years.

Dolphins must come to the surface to breathe air. They are very social animals, bottlenose dolphins generally swim in groups called pods. Bottlenose dolphins like to play, they surf on waves near the shore and ride waves caused by boats and big whales.

Eagle

A young eagle is called an eaglet. An eaglet hatches just 35 days of incubation and are in the nest for 10-12 weeks before they take their first flight. The parents feed the young one to eight times a day, by tearing off pieces of food and holding them to the beaks of the eaglets.

An eagle flies higher than any other bird. They have very large, hooked beaks, strong, muscular legs and have extremely powerful eyes. There are more than 60 species of eagles that live worldwide, and only two eagle species live in the North American region—called the bald eagle and the golden eagle.

Frog

A tadpole or baby frog hatches from an egg. The tadpole breathes using gills and moves like a fish, it uses its long tail to swim and eat tiny water plants. Then a tadpole will grow into a froglet with lungs and legs. Its gills will disappear, tail gets shorter until it disappears too and swims to the top of the water to breathe air.

Frogs absorb water through their skin so they don't need to drink. Their eyes and nose are on top of its head so it can breathe and see when most of its body is under the water. Many of the mostly brightly coloured tropical frogs are poisonous.

Goose

Gosling is a term for a young baby goose, still covered with soft, fluffy down feathers and unable to fly. Goslings can be distinguished from ducklings, based on their larger size and longer necks, as well as a more triangular bill shape. The goslings will be able to fly in two to three months.

Geese are related to Ducks and Swans. A male goose is called gander, a baby is called a gosling, a group of geese are called a gaggle. Geese fly in a “V” formation. If one goose is injured, other geese will stay with it until it dies or can rejoin the flock. There are about 30 species of geese worldwide.

Hippopotamus

A baby hippo is called a calf, weigh just about 100 pounds when they’re born. When it dives, the calf closes its nose and ears to block out water. Hippos move easily through the water, however, they can't actually swim.

Hippopotamuses are large, round, water-loving animals that are native to Africa. They are the second largest land mammal after the elephant. They spend most of their time (16 hours per day) submerged to keep their skin cool and moist. They have large teeth and tusks that they use for fighting and are considered very dangerous.

Iguana

The word iguana is derived from a Spanish name for the species: iwana. The young are called iguanita or gorrobito. Iguanas, like all reptiles, come from eggs and a new born can also be called a hatchling. Iguanas mostly only eat vegetables, making them herbivores.

Iguanas can be found in the tropical regions of Central America and Asia. A male iguana will become flowery and more ornate than a female; some can turn gray, white, and even blue!

Jellyfish

Baby jellyfish is called an ephyrae that grow very quickly into adult. Jellyfish are mainly made up of water and protein and a group of jellyfish is called a smack. Jellyfish have millions of very small stinging cells in their tentacles used to capture food by injecting toxin into the prey.

There are many different types of jellyfish in all of the oceans; some are harmless and some are very dangerous. Jellyfish cannot swim but must drift along with the tides of the oceans.

Kangaroo

The young kangaroo, or joey, is born only about two centimeters long and weighs less than a gram. Immediately after birth it crawls up the mother's body and enters the pouch which it leaves completely between 7 and 10 months of age.

There are over 40 different types of Kangaroo. The smaller ones are usually called Wallabies and the largest is the Red Kangaroo. The Kangaroo moves by hopping on its powerful hind legs. It uses its thick long tail to balance its body while hopping, however, it can't walk or move backwards very easily. Kangaroos are found in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.

Leopard

Little baby leopards are called cubs. They are born blind and helpless, they usually weigh one pound, are five or six inches long and without any spots on its coat. Their eyes, often a beautiful blue colour will be fully open at ten days and their spots becoming more prominent and defined.

Mice

Baby mice are called pinkies because of their bright pink colour or are also called pups. They are born blind and hairless. Mice can have a new litter of babies every three weeks.

Domestic mice are very friendly toward humans and can make good pets for older children and adults. There are hundreds of types of mice, divided into subfamilies and come in a wide variety of colours and sizes. Mice are much like humans in how their bodies and minds work. This is why all modern medicine is tested on mice before they go to human medical trials.

Nightingale

A baby nightingale is called a chick, typically naked with closed eyes. After a few days, it is usually covered in fine feathers that almost look like fur. A nightingale is a brown-coloured bird with a reddish tail and whitish-gray streaks on the bottom part of the body. Males and females look alike.

Nightingales are best known for their romantic, melodious songs that can be heard both during the day and night but only the males sing. Nightingales inhabit thick forests and woodlands in Europe and Asia during the summer months and then they migrate to Africa for the winter.

Owl

An owlet is a young baby owl, recently hatched and is still dependent on its parents for feeding, care, and security. Young owls often stay close to their siblings, and it is not unusual to see several owlets together.

Owls don’t make their own nests, instead they take over the abandoned nests of other birds. There are around 200 different species and a group of owls is called a parliament. Most owls hunt insects, small mammals and other birds. Owls have large eyes and a flat face.

Porcupine

Baby porcupines are called porcupettes. At birth, they have soft quills, which harden in a few days. Porcupines have long, sharp quills that cover their bodies which is used as a defence. They are nocturnal, which means they are active during the night and asleep during the day.

A mother and her young is considered a family group called a prickle. Porcupines are rodents, they live in America, Africa, Europe and Asia. They are climbers and prefer to live in trees or they might live in a cave, hollow log, or under a shed. Porcupines are herbivores, this means that they only eat plants.

Quail

The baby quail is called a chick, very small—about the size of a bumblebee. Quail chicks are immediately able to move around on their own and feed themselves. Quails are social birds that gather in groups called coveys.

There are 32 species of quails that differ in size, colour and type of habitat where they can be found. Quails are able to fly short distances, but they spend most of their time on the ground. A quail is a small bird, covered with brown, black, white, grey and blue feathers.

Rabbit

Baby rabbits are called bunny or kit. After four to five weeks, a kit can care for itself and in two or three months it is ready to start a family of its own. Rabbits are small mammals with fluffy, short tails, whiskers and distinctive long ears.

There are more than 30 species around the world and originally from Europe and Africa, rabbits are now found all over the world. Wild rabbits create their own homes by tunneling into the ground. These tunnel systems are called warrens and include rooms for nesting and sleeping. Rabbits are very social creatures and live in large groups called colonies.

Seal

Baby seals, called pups, will stay on land until their waterproof fur grows in which can take around a month. Some seals will dig nests in the sand on which to have their young while others, like the harp seal, will have their babies directly on icebergs. Seal produce milk with 50% fats and their babies gain three to five pounds daily.

There are 33 species of seals in total. Seals spend much of their life in water, but they mate, give birth to babies and take care of them on the shore. When they are on the land, they live in huge colonies with over thousand seals. They usually eat squid and fish.

Turtles

A baby turtle is known as a hatchling and their gender is determined by the temperature within the nest. Lower temperatures lead to a male while higher temperatures lead to a female. After 45 to 70 days, the hatchlings begin breaking out of their eggs, will remain in the nest for a number of days, and they will absorb their yolk, which will then provide them the energy they need while they make their way to offshore waters.

Turtles are reptiles, have a hard shell that protects them like a shield and are cold blooded. The largest turtle is the leatherback sea turtle. Sea turtles have special glands which help remove salt from the water they drink.

Unau (Sloth)

Baby unau (sloth) are called pup born after about four months of pregnancy, is fully furred, eyes open, and able to climb. The pup clings to its mothers belly most of the first few months of life and begins to munch on leaves at about two months old.

Sloths are small slow-moving animals that live in the trees of South and Central America. They have huge, curved claws that allow them to grip branches while they eat or sleep. Sloths come in two and three-toed varieties. They have very low energy, and thus move very slowly.

Vulture

Both vulture parents incubate the eggs and also care for the baby or chicks, which are helpless and cannot care for themselves. The young chick remains in its nest for three or four months.

There are 23 vulture species in the world, and at least one type of vulture is found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Their heads and necks are almost bare so they stay clean while feasting on rotten meat. Vultures also have extremely strong acids inside their stomachs to help them fight and destroy lethal bacteria and to break down the bones of the carcasses that they devour.

Wombat

A baby wombat is called a joey, which weighs two grams, that is about the size of a jellybean. An undeveloped joey will crawl into the pouch of its mother's belly. A wombat baby remains in its mother's pouch for about five months before emerging.

All wombat species live in Australia and Tasmania in mountains, forests and grasslands. Their homes are burrows, which consist of many tunnels and sleeping chambers. A group of wombats is called a mob or colony, are nocturnal and they do not climb trees like koalas. Wombats are herbivores, which means they only eat plants and have cube-shaped poop.

Xenops

Like most other birds, baby xenops are referred to as a hatchling or a chick. Its nest is a hole in a decaying tree that is lined with grass and other plant material. Females lay a set of two glossy-white eggs each time. Both parents incubate the eggs, which hatch in about 16 days.

Xenops are found in rain forests in South & Central America, as well as in Mexico. It is a solitary rain forest bird that roosts in tree holes and has a fast, sharp-sounding song. The bills of the xenops look as if they have been put on upside down.

Yak

Baby yak is called a calf, which can walk within 10 minutes after birth. They are weaned at about one year of age. Yaks are herbivores, their diet consists mainly of plants. Their droppings are used as fuel, often the only fuel available on the high Tibetan Plateau, which has no trees.

Yaks are primarily found throughout the Himalayan region of southern Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau, and as far north as Russia and Mongolia. Yaks live at the highest altitude of all mammals. Their most distinctive feature is an extremely dense, shaggy long coat that, in some individuals, hangs down to the ground.

Zebra

Baby zebras are called foals. When they are born, foals weigh around 25 to 40 kg. Soon after birth, foals are able to stand up and walk, and gets its nutrition from its mother's milk. They will continue to nurse throughout its first year.

Zebras are closely related to horses and donkeys and are native to Africa. Each species of zebra has a different and unique general pattern of stripes. It is believed that the zebra's stripes work like camouflage and may work as a natural sunscreen. Zebras eat mostly grass, leaves and twigs.

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