Pups in the Womb | National Geographic

during the second half of gestation
development takes on a new and faster
pace just four weeks from now all our
pups will be quite distinct animals if
they survive
dogs and wolves sometimes reabsorb their
fetuses breaking down the growing embryo
into nothing a small lump on the uterus
wall may be all that is left
wolves evolved in harsh times with many
predators so they developed a technique
to maximize survival
it may seem counterintuitive but
reabsorbing some fetuses means the
surviving ones have a better chance if
dogs get stressed the same thing can
happen but their comfortable existence
alongside people means they’re usually
free enough of stress to carry a full
litter