Well, all we can say is that you have to see it to believe it and that is quite an understatement. We all want to know what animal babies are like in the womb of their mothers. Big animals like elephants, sharks, horses or small animals like bats, snakes (small snakes) and other members of animal kingdom in the safety of their mother’s wombs look so cute.
A National Geographic channel photographer and producer Peter Chin was able to capture various such animals in the womb of their mothers and the results are just fantastic, actually the result is beyond fantastic.
Chin used 3D imaging technique and colored ultrasounds of the pregnant animals combined with the use of small cameras and graphics to give the final results a life like look. These astonishing images as a part of documentary called “In the Womb: Animals” and though the documentary dates to 2006, the images popped up on photo sharing site Imgur this week and we have 10 of the best images of them for your viewing pleasure.
So sit back and look in awe at 10 unborn animals in their mother’s womb.
- Elephant
An adult African elephant weighs around 1.5-2 tons and its gestation period is up to 615 days. What you see in the image above is an elephant (not exactly an African one) foetus in its mother’s womb. You can see the hooves and trunk and hair on the tail developed completely.
- Dolphin
Most adult dolphins weigh around 1500lbs. Also they have one of the longest life span of up to 50 years for female bottlenose dolphins. Their gestation period is around a year and they calve every 305 years.
- Horse
An adult horse can weigh up to 500-600 kgs. They are also quite tall with the tallest horse being Big Jake who is six feet; ten and three-quarter inches tall and weighs 2,600 pounds. The gestation period for horses is around 11 months.
- Snake
Snakes are reptiles and they lay eggs in which their offspring develop. The only thing is that all snakes are poisonous and non-poisonous snakes use their weight and muscle strength to strangle their victims. The gestation period for snake eggs are anywhere from 3-9 months depending on the species.
The most poisonous snake species on Earth is the Inland Taipan found in Australia and the heaviest snake in the world is the green anaconda which weighs in excess of 500lbs. While the record for the longest snake in the world currently goes to the reticulated python, especially one by the name Medusa that is 7.67 meters (25 feet, 2 inches) long.
- Cheetah
Cheetah is considered the fastest animal on land in the world. Though it is now an extremely endangered species, it is still one of the best predators in jungles.
The record for the fastest animal on land was set in 2012 by a cheetah named Sarah and she clocked at 61 miles per hour.
- Bats
Bats are the only mammals that can fly. Bats have a gestation period of 40 days-6 months depending on the size of the bat.
The largest species of bats are the Flying foxes with a wingspan of 1.7 m or 5 ft 7 inches and they can lift up to 4 lb of weigh easily.
- Emperor Penguin
The Emperor Penguins give birth to a single egg after a gestation period of 63 days.
The Emperor Penguin is also the tallest and heaviest species of all penguins in the world. They can reach a height of 48 inches and can weigh up to 49-99 lbs. their life span is upto 20 years in the wild and 50 years in captivity.
- Tiger Shark
Tiger shark is the largest of all shark species in the oceans. They can grow to the lengths of 5.5 m but the longest record tiger shark is 7 m in length. Their life span is upto 12 years and they don’t have any natural predators as such.
Their gestation period lasts anywhere from 15-16 months and average number of pups per litter is 41.
- Kangaroo
The gestation period of a kangaroo is just 33 days. The lifespan of the kangaroo is 6 years in the wild and more than 20 years in captivity. The largest kangaroo is the Red kangaroo and its length is 1-1.6 m and it weighs around 200 lbs.
- Kitten
Normal gestation period for a domestic cat is 66 days. The average number of kitten per litter is 4-5. The largest wild cat in the world is liger, which is a hybrid of a lion and a tiger. They typically weigh around 1000 lbs and are almost 10 ft in length.
The largest domestic cat in the world is Ulric, an orange Norwegian forest cat that weighs a whopping 30 pounds. The longest cat was Stewie who is 48.5 inches long form head to the tip of the tail.
Which of them do you think is the cutest?