Rare twin elephants born in Thailand

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8445lyjndvo

by priyankanath • 2 years ago

60 10 2 years ago

bbc.com

helsinkiandrew• 2 years ago

Dramatic footage on social media showed a crowd of caretakers

Includes an interview with caretakers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQnCJYqlB3c

wiradikusuma• 2 years ago

The second birth sent the mother into a panic and caretakers had to restrain her to prevent her from stepping on the female calf

And the mother might not have enough milk to feed more than one (according to video). I guess it's nature's cruel way of ensuring "one healthy successor instead of 2 weak ones that might end up eaten by lions").

dghughes• 2 years ago

It makes me wonder is that why human woman have two breasts? In case of twins or human twin births used to be more common?

edit: It seems elephants also have two nipples. I had to Google "how many nipples do elephants have" this is my life.

DFHippie2• 2 years ago

I'm thinking it's bilateral symmetry.

alhaad• 2 years ago

Twin elephants rarely survive in the wild. Elephant mothers have difficulty producing enough milk for two calves.

munchler• 2 years ago

Twins occur in only one percent of elephant births and male-female are even more rare, according to Save the Elephants, a research organisation.

1% is "rare", I guess, but I'm not sure exactly why it's newsworthy. About 3% of human births are twins, so twin elephant births aren't much rarer.

jmnicolas• 2 years ago

There aren't 7 billions elephants in the world.

tokai• 2 years ago

Three times more rare.

Rare twin elephants born in Thailand

Related Stories