Females mostly give birth twice a year and, during their lifespan, produce 17 babies on average. May 1, 2013. Why Some Animals Eat Their Offspring. In animals, infanticide involves the killing of young offspring by a mature animal of the same species, and is studied in zoology, specifically in the field of ethology. Their fur is brown, and their average lifespan is ten years. Some will choose to ignore them, which means not letting them feed. Yes, it is the male seahorse who gets pregnant and gives birth to the young. This myth started because sometimes when all the babies are going in the moms mouth, the first time mother will kill them by accident by crushing them with the back of her jaw trying to get all the other babies inside her mouth, but she wont eat them. Baby’s got bite y’all. Eating a weak or dead newborn kitten will act for the same purpose. The baby lives in its mother’s pouch for six months, and female quokkas become ready to mate after 18 months of life. Cats aren’t any different. Some animal species, including but not limited to, hamsters, pigs, snakes, birds, primates and even bugs, have a tendency to kill and sometimes eat all or some of their own babies or other young members of their group. The babies will lose half of their body weight during this lengthy fasting period. ... A female wolf spider carries her babies on her back. If you recall from the video we shared, you’ll remember this as a common reason mothers will sometimes eat their babies. However, most snakes lay eggs, and abandon their eggs before they hatch. Life in the wild can be so brutal, that sometimes animals are forced to do terrible things to ensure survival. This process may seem cruel, but it is a behavior which has biological impulses important for the cat. 7 animals that eat their own kind. Crocodiles do not eat their own babies, they do carry them in their mouth after they hatch to help them go in the water and find food. (Image: ... but a new study sheds light on the factors that may drive some parents to eat their … Remember, not all mothers will consume their kittens with birth defects. Rattlesnakes eat nonviable offspring as a way of recycling energy, as reported in Animal Behavior.. Quokkas are known for being indiscriminately sexually active. However, there are other reasons a cat may eat her babies and we need to look out for them if they are in our care. ... Scientists think the strategy allows a pair of baby sharks to grow large enough that other predators will leave them alone once they're born. This is a list of ten species that start their lives as ruthless fratricides. Male seahorses possess a brood pouch where females deposit their eggs. Snakes that give birth to live babies, such as rattlesnakes, may also eat their young.But this is for a different reason. Cannibalism and infanticide are well known in many species, but perhaps the most disturbing cases are those of baby animals killing their siblings, sometimes moments after they are born! When the animals are just four weeks old they can actually morph to develop a wider head and bigger teeth in order to eat their fellow salamanders, especially if they’re somehow separated from kin or under stressful conditions. Seahorses are among the most unique animals in the world because they belong to a fish family known for an oddity: male pregnancy.