Feed Me!

Baby animals need lots of food to grow up strong. But many animal babies are too small and helpless to find food on their own. They depend on their parents to feed them, until they're big enough to find food themselves.

Animals that feed their babies milk are called mammals. Humans are mammals. So are whales. A baby orca whale drinks milk as it swims alongside its mother. Orca babies need to grow a layer of thick blubber to stay warm, so an orca mother's milk is rich and full of fat.

This dog has lots more babies than an orca does, but she makes enough milk so no one goes hungry. Puppies start nursing just a few minutes after they're born.

This brown bear cub is too big to nurse but still too young to find its own food. So mama bear catches salmon to share. By watching mom, the cub will learn how to fish for itself.

Wood thrush nestlings are always hungry. Some baby birds eat more than 100 times a day! They keep their parents busy searching for worms, bugs, and berries.

Wolf pups are too little to go hunting with the rest of the pack. So when the adults return from a hunt, the wolf pup licks a big wolf to say, "I'm hungry." Then the adult spits up a bite of meat for the young pup to eat.

Open wide! A brown pelican parent swallows a fish and breaks it down into mush. The chicks poke their bills deep inside to share the fishy feast.

Human babies love mushy stuff, too. Feeding yourself can be a big mess, but it sure looks like fun.

Copyright Carus Publishing Company Apr 2004
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved