How/why do animals get so big when they’re tiny as babies? (I.e tortoises)
In: Biology
Babies are created inside their mothers and have to exit at some point. Depending on the animal, thats either an egg or a breathing creature.
Genetics determines how big an animal can get and evolution reinforces that bigger/stronger animals tend to survive long enough to procreate. The size of the animal is dictated by the environment. Small animals can fill a niche, but often die sooner than bigger species.
Therefore, being able to be birthed without killing the mother and surviving long enough to pass on your genes results in small babies, but big adults.
They get bigger by eating. When food is digested, nutrients and energy are extracted. A lot of this is used for growth of tissue and muscle. As to why – a parent cannot birth a child bigger than themselves but it generally benefits animals to be big.
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