If you look at my profile picture, you’ll see this comic is actually about me…

I was young once, now I just Mod !memes@slrpnk.net

  • jet@hackertalks.comEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Now I’m wondering about any animals that get born fully sized, and don’t have a childhood

    • palordrolap@fedia.io
      0·
      2 months ago

      Single celled creatures pretty much do this. The next closest would be any creature that gives birth to what is effectively a miniature adult which is then immediately abandoned by the parent(s). Even then, I’m not sure of any that are sexually mature at birth, suggesting further development is actually needed to get full adulthood, meaning there’s a childhood of sorts, even if it’s not necessarily a well-protected one.

      • SolarMonkey@slrpnk.netEnglish
        0·
        2 months ago

        Trichogramma wasps emerge from “their” egg already fully self-fertilized and ready to lay more eggs, but idk if that really counts since the first portion of their life cycle is consuming another insect’s egg as a parasite… (I know a ton about them because I released them in my house for years to combat pantry moths when I had birds - they do an absolutely spectacular job.)

        It’s a species without males, due to a bacterial infection that suppresses males almost entirely. If treated with antibiotics they start to produce males again. Essentially, the lack of males means they have to be fully fertile immediately. But idk if that makes it sexually mature or not. I think that’s definitely an edge case either way, but it’s the closest I can think of.

  • LyD@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    It’s hilarious that the forest is just some saplings and mushrooms when it’s a baby

    • lugal@sopuli.xyz
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      2 months ago

      There was quite a time in between. The huge mushrooms were before animal life on land. They were defenseless and just died out when gnawed at. Pretty sure it took some time for trees to evolve and form forests. I don’t even know if trees immediately formed forests or if they first just stood there isolated.