Watch:
Availability:
Available since Fri, 23 Oct 2009.
Synopsis
The placenta, an organ produced to feed a growing baby, allows mammals to develop inside the mother to a degree that gives them a valuable start in life. Having been nourished in the womb via the placenta, a wildebeest calf is almost immediately up on its feet and able to run, a distinct advantage when surrounded by hungry predators. The baby is fed like all mammal babies, with its mother's milk. Placental young may still have months or even years before full independence, but those early months of protection inside the mother gives them a valuable headstart in life.
Credits
- Presenter
- David Attenborough
- Producer
- Mike Salisbury
- Writer
- David Attenborough
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