Baby Animals and Their Parents

Every animal was a baby once

Did you know that a big, strong horse was once a tiny baby? Every animal started out small. Baby animals are sweet and soft, and many of them have their very own special name. Let's meet some baby animals and find out how their parents look after them.

Baby animals have special names

When a baby animal is born, we often give it a different name from its mum and dad. Here are some you might know:

• A baby dog is a puppy 🐶
• A baby cat is a kitten 🐱
• A baby cow is a calf 🐄
• A baby sheep is a lamb 🐑
• A baby horse is a foal 🐴
• A baby hen is a chick 🐣
• A baby frog is a tadpole 🐸
• A baby bear is a cub 🐻

Try saying them out loud. Which name is your favourite?

Some babies grow inside, some hatch from eggs

Baby animals come into the world in two main ways.

Some babies grow inside their mother and are born alive. Puppies, kittens, calves and foals all grow inside their mum first. When they are ready, they are born and can wriggle and breathe straight away.

Other babies grow inside an egg. A mother hen lays an egg and sits on it to keep it warm and cosy. Inside the shell, a tiny chick grows bigger and bigger. After about three weeks, the chick uses a little point on its beak to peck its way out. Crack! Out comes a fluffy yellow chick. Birds, frogs, fish, turtles and many insects all hatch from eggs.

Why parents take care of their babies

Baby animals are too small to look after themselves. They cannot find food on their own, and they need to stay warm and safe. That is why parents work so hard to care for their young.

Feeding. Baby animals that are mammals, like puppies and lambs, drink milk from their mother. The milk is full of good things that help them grow. Baby birds cannot do this. Instead, their parents fly back and forth, bringing worms and seeds to drop into their open beaks.

Keeping warm. A tiny baby can get cold easily. A mother cat curls around her kittens to keep them snug. A penguin parent tucks its egg on top of its feet under a warm flap of skin so the cold ice never touches it.

Keeping safe. The world can be dangerous for a little one. A mother duck leads her ducklings in a neat line so they do not get lost. An elephant herd walks with the babies in the middle, so the big adults can protect them from danger.

As the babies grow, they learn from their parents. They watch and copy. A lion cub learns to hunt by playing and pouncing. A baby bird learns to fly by flapping near the nest. Bit by bit, the babies grow strong enough to look after themselves.

Look and find: baby animals near you

Go outside in spring and look for baby animals! Springtime is when many animals have their young. You might spot:

• Ducklings following their mother on a pond
• Lambs jumping in a field
• Baby birds chirping loudly in a nest, waiting to be fed

Watch quietly from far away so you do not frighten them. Can you see what the parent does? Does it bring food? Does it stay close by? Draw a picture of the baby animal and its parent when you get home.

Baby animals need safe places to grow up. Find out where animals live in Animals and Their Homes. You can also see how a tiny tadpole grows into a frog in The Life Cycle of a Frog.