Eli5: What happens to the cord on animals where there’s no one to cut it?

Question

(In the wild not in zoos)

In: Biology

Answer 1

If Mom doesn’t bite the cord, sometimes it just breaks when the baby is born. It likely depends on the animal and how they give birth. Many bigger animals have a relatively large drop of Mom births standing up, so it’ll snap when the baby falls to the ground, or when Mom stands up after they’re born.