Discovery Channel :: News, Photo Zoom :: Lizard Endures World's Worst Pregnancy

November 23, 2009

Photo Zoom

	« back to article James Cook University One Tough Mother ... The largest members of the skink family, Australian stumpies give birth to a single infant that is, on average, 35 percent of the mother's body weight — the equivalent of a woman giving birth to a seven-year-old child. The growing fetus lies on top of the mother's lungs and digestive tract such that, in the latter stages of gestation, the females can no longer move much or eat.

Pictures: James Cook University

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTERS

HowStuffWorks | TreeHugger | Petfinder | PetVideo | Discovery Education

Visit the Discovery Store: Toys & Games | Telescopes | DVD Sets | Planet Earth DVD | Gift Ideas

By visiting this site, you agree to the terms and conditions
of our Visitor Agreement. Please read. Privacy Policy.
ATTENTION! We recently updated our privacy policy. The changes are effective as of September 10, 2008.
To see the new policy, click here. Questions? See the policy for the contact information.

Copyright © 2009 Discovery Communications, LLC.

The leading global real-world media and entertainment company.