Introduction Animals have babies Babies ensure survival of the species Survive means to live Species means groups of animals More babies mean more animals Baby animals are cute But they’re helpless They’re little They don’t have any skills They’re prey Prey are hunted as food Babies need help They need dads They need moms Animal moms are special Some protect Some care Some teach But some don’t Some leave their babies Some are dangerous Some animal moms are extreme Some of the most exciting moms are in the animal world 4
5 Maternal instincts refers to the things moms feel and do without even thinking about it
Elephants Elephants live in Africa and Asia They live together in herds Herds are family groups Herds are made up of grandmothers moms and daughters There aren’t any adult males The matriarch is in charge Matriarch means the oldest female She’s in charge until she dies Moms are pregnant for 21 months This is a long time Pregnant means having babies grow inside bodies Moms give birth to 220-pound 100 kilograms babies Elephant babies are the biggest babies on land 6 Chapter one
Herds take care of each other’s babies Baby elephants get a lot of attention They can’t see well They only drink milk They need their moms Moms work together They protect babies 7 Baby elephants are called calves
