After April the Giraffe’s Calf Is Born, See 5 Dramatic Animal Births
Live-streamed eagles, calves dropping to the ground and rare wildcat birth membranes all feature in our most jaw-dropping animal birth videos.
After hundreds of thousands watched April the giraffe give birth to her calf in Animal Adventure Park in upstate New York on Saturday, we take a look at some of the most dramatic animal birth videos from our archive.
Bald Eagles
Like April’s calf, the eagles hatched while many watched their progress online after the National Arboretum in Washington DC installed cameras near their nest. After hatching later than expected as thousands watched, the eaglets caused quite a stir as they shredded a fish caught by one of the parents. Here you can see the hatching’s best moments.
Twin Calves
In a dramatic live birth, a veterinarian had to physically pull twin calves out of their mother, who has been in labor for four hours–far longer than the normal length of time for cows. As with giraffes, the cows fall to the ground once free from their mother’s womb.
Serval Cat
The generally shy and solitary serval was captured giving birth after a videographer won her trust. Like April, she had to remove the birth membrane quickly after the kittens are born–and they soon fluffed up into patterned, furry, purring baby cats. (Read more about rare wildcats.)
Seahorse
Male seahorses, not females, give birth in their species. But not only do they give birth, they give birth to thousands of young seahorses. Only a few of them will survive to adulthood. (Read more about animals that give birth to many babies at once.)
Cockroach
In this brutal labor scenario, a female cockroach expelled her egg sac while being devoured by fire ants. The cockroach nymphs then hatch out of the egg sac right into the fire ant enclosure.
