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Litter (animal)

 
Litter (animal)

 
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Litter (animal)
 
 
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A litter is the offspring at one birth of animal
Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
s from the same mother and usually from one set of parent
Parent

A parent is a mother or father; one who sexual reproduction or gives birth to and/or nurtures and raises an offspring. The different roles of parents vary throughout the tree of life, and are especially complex in human culture....
s. The word is most often used for the offspring of mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s, but can be used for any animal that gives birth to multiple young. In comparison, a group of eggs
Egg (biology)

In most birds and reptiles, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo....
 and the offspring that hatch from them are frequently called a clutch, whilst young birds are often called a brood
Offspring

In biology, offspring is the product of reproduction, a new organism produced by one or more parents.Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way....
.

Animals from the same litter are referred to as littermates.

Animals frequently display grouping behaviour in herd
Herd

A herd is a large group of animals. The term is usually applied to mammals, particularly ungulates. Other terms are used for similar phenomena in other types of animal....
s, swarm
Swarm

The term swarm is applied to fish, insects, birds and microorganisms, such as bacteria, and describes a behavior of an aggregation of animals of similar size and body orientation, generally cruising in the same direction....
s, flock
Flock

Flock may refer to:*Flocking , the collective motion of a large number of self-propelled entities*Flock, various animal groups , in particular:...
s, or colonies
Colony (biology)

In biology, a colony refers to several individual organisms of the same species living closely together, usually for mutual benefit, such as stronger defences or the ability to attack bigger prey....
, and these multiple births derive similar advantages.






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Kittens
A litter is the offspring at one birth of animal
Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
s from the same mother and usually from one set of parent
Parent

A parent is a mother or father; one who sexual reproduction or gives birth to and/or nurtures and raises an offspring. The different roles of parents vary throughout the tree of life, and are especially complex in human culture....
s. The word is most often used for the offspring of mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s, but can be used for any animal that gives birth to multiple young. In comparison, a group of eggs
Egg (biology)

In most birds and reptiles, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo....
 and the offspring that hatch from them are frequently called a clutch, whilst young birds are often called a brood
Offspring

In biology, offspring is the product of reproduction, a new organism produced by one or more parents.Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way....
.

Animals from the same litter are referred to as littermates.

Animals frequently display grouping behaviour in herd
Herd

A herd is a large group of animals. The term is usually applied to mammals, particularly ungulates. Other terms are used for similar phenomena in other types of animal....
s, swarm
Swarm

The term swarm is applied to fish, insects, birds and microorganisms, such as bacteria, and describes a behavior of an aggregation of animals of similar size and body orientation, generally cruising in the same direction....
s, flock
Flock

Flock may refer to:*Flocking , the collective motion of a large number of self-propelled entities*Flock, various animal groups , in particular:...
s, or colonies
Colony (biology)

In biology, a colony refers to several individual organisms of the same species living closely together, usually for mutual benefit, such as stronger defences or the ability to attack bigger prey....
, and these multiple births derive similar advantages. A litter offers some protection from predation
Predation

In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey, the organism that is attacked. Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of the prey....
, not particularly to the individual young but to the parents' investment in breeding. With multiple young, predators could eat several and others could still survive to reach maturity, but with only one offspring, its loss could mean a wasted breeding season. The other significant advantage is the chance for the healthiest young animals to be favoured from a group. Rather than it being a conscious decision on the part of the parents, the fittest and strongest baby competes most successfully for food and space, leaving the weakest young, or runt
Runt

A runt is a smaller specimen in a group of animals, usually of offspring in a litter.It may also refer to:*A breed of Dove related to the carrier pigeon...
s, to die through lack of care.

In the wild, only a small percentage, if any, of the litter may survive to maturity, whereas for domesticated animals and those in captivity with human care the whole litter might survive.