Cord Blood Stem Cells Information

In the animal kingdom, how is the umbilical cord cut?

Public Comments

1. mothers teeth
2. chewed off
3. I agree probably teeth - but EWWW I had never thought about that before... :)
4. when my cat had her kittens, she chewed it, then ate the placenta!!!
5. Unless it's chewed off, it just dries up and falls off after a few days.
6. With bovine animals it breaks inside and is passed out later
7. chew it off...possibly eat it too.. lol
8. i didnt know they had umbilical cords. the babies just pop out. n ive nvr seen an animal with a belly button.
9. the mother chews it off
10. What an unusual question. I do know that in south american tribes they are said to eat the placenta because it mimicks the animals they see in the amazon. Hope that helps
11. In most cases, it's eaten, along with the placenta. EEeeewwwww....
12. it is chewed off and eaten. The mother animal also eats the Placenta (after birth). The reason is labor is grueling to any living things body and wiped the body out of nutrients, Minerals, and blood. Placenta has lots of nutrients and blood so it is very healthy even though it seems very gross.
13. Very sharp teeth. However, in marine mammals it just breaks off. (I just watched a documentary with a whale giving birth.)
14. lightning from god strikes the umbilical cord, sealing up the severed ends and seals up the woman's vagina, apart from a little pee hole. Bejezuz :chapter 10: verse 4.
15. Everything is usually cleaned up by the mother She eats most if not all of the birthing sac and the cord
16. Chewed! Could you imagine?
17. With the teeth if it has not broken off during the birth. All evidence of the labour is usually eaten to prevent predators smelling the fresh blood and seeking out the new born.
18. the mother chews off the cord.
19. It comes off naturally. Same would have applied in human if not cut off by midwives.
20. The mother will sever it with her teeth.
21. The mother bites through it.
22. In the majority of animals, the mother will bite through it whilst licking the newborn clean, and will eat it along with the placenta (afterbirth). This serves two purposes - it recycles the nutrients contained in the placenta, and helps cover up the scent of birth which could attract predators. If the umbilical cord is not bitten through, it will usually just dry up and fall off within a couple of days.