- [Narrator] For humans,
the miracle of birth is one of life's most
unforgettable experiences. But we're not alone. Sea creatures also undergo some pretty miraculous births too, but for slightly more bizarre reasons. From crazy pregnant crabs
dancing in the moonlight, to marine moms who give birth
to millions, here are some of the craziest ways that
sea creatures give birth! (gentle music) Eggs Rayale. Stingrays are best known
for looking like the ravioli of the sea, growing up to 4 ½ foot wide, and having painful venomous stingers. But, if you thought those freaky
features were otherworldly, wait until you hear about
how these guys give birth. Like most marine life,
stingray mothers produce eggs inside their body. However, unlike typical sea critters, stingrays are ovoviviparous,
meaning that the mothers keep the eggs inside their body... even after they hatch! Usually after a gestation period of three months, the embryos
emerge from the eggs. The developing stingray pups
receive nutrition from a milky, rich substance developed in the
mother's uterus and attached to them via sacs, helping
them grow big and strong! Eventually when labor day comes, stingray moms pop out
these haunting horrors. (cheerful music) Yeah, I wasn't lying when I
said those embryos grow big and strong.
Jeez! And in fairness to the pups, they need it! Most juvenile stingrays
start their lives away from their parents, so having
the ability to swim and fend for themselves is crucial. But if you thought that
stingray birth was alien-esque, then strap in, because the
nightmares don't end there. Guitarfish, another species of
ray, are also ovoviviparous. However, one marine mama gave
birth to something guaranteed to make your skin crawl. Rather than birthing fully-fledged young, this mom gave birth to four babies who still had their yolk
sacs attached, suggesting that she popped them out prematurely. Most rays don't give birth on the shore in this manner either, so it's
likely that Mrs. Guitarfish was chased onto shore by
a predator, and the stress of the ordeal forced her into
an earlier-than-planned birth. I'll never be able to look at
fried eggs the same way again. Painful Pups. Okay, that's enough talking
about stingray births for one day. Let's make things a lil more lighthearted and focus on one of the sea's
cutest critters... seals. Ah, the doggo of the sea! Don't these guys just melt your heart? Although before you get too carried away, you need to see the metal birthing methods of the elephant seal, which
are less heart-melting and more soul destroying. From September to November,
the average 10 ft long, 1,300 lb females arrive onshore
on islands off the coast of South America, South
Africa, and Australasia. About a week after arriving,
they'll give birth to pups that they've been carrying
for the last seven months. And, judging by what an
elephant seal giving birth looks like, it's a day that those moms have been deeply fearing
for those 7 months. Now this may look like a
double-headed mythological demon, but it's actually an elephant
seal mother pushing one of these pups out headfirst. And, considering that these
pups weigh around 88 pounds and stretch over four feet
long, it's no easy task. Ouch! Painful as the pregnancy
may be, it's all worth it in the end for the
determined elephant seal mom. I mean, who wouldn't want to
look after this little angel. I've just got one question: Is the guy that took this photo okay? Sharky Snack. Whether it's their sharp
serrated teeth, creepy eyes, or chunky 10-foot length,
sand tiger sharks are one of the ocean's most hardcore inhabitants. But, if you think their
appearance is metal, you haven't heard what happens
during their pregnancy. For humans, the womb is a peaceful, cozy home for fetuses to develop. Sadly, the same can't be
said for sand tiger sharks. Females have two uterine
horns that, during pregnancy, house six to nine embryos in each uterus. Yet, sand tiger sharks have one of the lowest reproductive
rates out of all sharks. So where are all those babies going? Well, their siblings' gut, that's where! In what's known as
intrauterine cannibalism, the developing embryos are munched up by the largest sand tiger shark embryo until only one remains. Some of the sand tiger
shark's close relatives, including great whites and
mako sharks, produce embryos that consume unfertilized
eggs in the uterus. But none boast the same grisliness as sand tiger shark
embryos, who happily eat their hatchling brothers and sisters. And you thought your siblings were bad! When the two killer pups
eventually emerge from each uterus, they're already over three foot long, big enough to protect them from most predators and make
themselves capable killers. Forget about eating greens,
munching down on siblings is what make sand tiger
sharks big and strong. Fortunately for them,
that size comes in handy when putting off any would-be predators. Although I'm sure if those
predators knew that these pups had devoured all of their
brothers and sisters inside their mom, that would work as a pretty effective warning too! Jeez, it's kind of hard to figure out which of these births is worse! If you had to go through one of these bizarre birthing
methods we've seen so far, which would it be? Let me know in the comments below. Oh, and don't forget to hit
those like and subscribe buttons while you're down there! Alright, what have we got next? Making a Splash. Thankfully, splashing tetra babies don't have such a gruesome
welcome to the world, but that doesn't make
their birthing process any less bizarre. When these frisky fish,
found in the rivers of South America, are ready to reproduce, the male looks for a suitable leaf. Now, it may sound odd that
a fish is into plant life, but that greenery plays
a vital role in the birth of splashing tetra young. The male goes in search
of the perfect leaf on which to lay eggs. And, when he finds a mate,
they perform a crazy jump! But they're not just hopping
around for the fun of it. The pair leap out of the
water in perfect unison, so much so that, to the human
eye they can appear as one. After landing on the leaf, the
female will deposit her eggs, and the male must
fertilize them immediately. After the strange ritual is complete, the male splashes water
on the eggs with his tail to prevent his young from drying out. (cheerful music) Now that's a baby shower! It may seem like a strange
way to bring your kids into the world, but it's with good reason. By laying their eggs above the water, these parents save their
young from any fish that would feast on
their scrumptious spawn. After a couple of days of
getting splashed by dad on their lofty leaf, the eggs
hatch, and the fry plunge into the water. Now that's a parkour pregnancy! Mouth Breeders. Leaves aren't the only peculiar place that you'll find fish fry. Residing in the waters off the
coast of the Banggai Islands in Indonesia, male Banggai cardinalfish perform their parental duty admirably. Reproduction begins with
the female courting a male with a dance that he joins in with. (cheerful music) It's more of a 'follow
the leader' kind of dance, a two fish conga if you will! But, if she's impressed by
his moves, she'll release around 40 eggs, which are
fertilized by the male. Although his job is far from over. After fertilizing the eggs,
dad opens his mouth wide and sucks all of them in! Oh no, his kids are about
to become a small snack! (gulp loudly) Though he doesn't eat them. Instead, he scoops the
eggs up in his mouth to incubate them.
It may seem weird, but for fish like the yellow-headed
jawfish and of course, the Banggai cardinalfish,
this 'mouth brooding' is the most reliable way to ensure their unhatched kids don't get
gobbled up by another fish. But, with this great fishy power comes great fishy responsibility, because if dad drops dead for some reason, there's not much chance of the
fishy fry surviving either. If dad does make it through
the brooding period, there's one more teeny-tiny
problem: the eggs are always in the male's mouth, so
he can't eat... at all... for a whole month! And here I am feeling sorry for myself if I don't get seconds at dinner. But before we all start applauding the Banggai cardinalfish dads, things don't always go smoothly. Males that haven't built up
sufficient energy reserves, are known to snack on their young! In fact, most of the time,
not all Banggai cardinalfish make it out of their father's maw. On average, out of the 40 eggs,
only about 20 fries make it. Well, sometimes, food just tastes better if you make it yourself! Male Martyrs. Banggai cardinalfish aren't the only dads who do their bit when
it comes to pregnancy. After an elaborate courtship
dance, female seahorses deposit their eggs in a mate. But this time they don't
end up in dad's mouth. Instead, the male seahorse
has his own belly brood pouch where he fertilizes his mate's eggs. As the embryos grow, so
does the seahorse's abdomen just like with human pregnancy, only it's not the female
whose belly gets a bump. It's not known for sure why sea horses have this gender reversal
when it comes to pregnancy. One theory is that giving
the male the job of bearing the young leaves the female
free to start producing the next batch of eggs. After about 30 days, labor
day finally arrives for dad. Although it may look like he's
got a bout of the sneezes, male seahorses open their abdomen before having contractions that release their teeny-tiny
babies, most of which are less than 12 millimeters in size. And then, they're left
to fend for themselves. Charming! But seahorses aren't
the only determined dads who have a brood pouch to
help raise their young. The closely related sea dragon
has a spongy brood patch on the underside of its tail. During mating, the female will deposit around 250 bright pink
eggs onto the male's tail. The eggs then lock onto the brood patch. After about nine weeks
of riding on dad's tail, the spawn begin to hatch. And, with a little shake,
the babies say goodbye to the tail, and hello to the open ocean! But, just like their horsey
cousins, sea dragon young don't get any help from mom or
dad the moment they're born. Good luck kids! Another close relative of
the seahorse and sea dragon, known as the pipefish, completes
the trio of fishy fathers. Female pipefish drop up to
40 eggs into the brood pouch of the male's belly. Here, they fertilize
the eggs and carry them until the offspring hatch
a couple of weeks later. Sound like loving dads, right? Well, not entirely. Male pipefish are pretty picky
parents, to put it lightly. These guys are known to
selectively remove youngsters from their pouch if they've mated with an unattractive female. Harsh as it is, males are
likely to put more resources into broods from larger,
more attractive females. Does personality count for
nothing in the fish world? If that wasn't brutal enough,
male pipefish can also turn to cannibalism if the
pregnancy gets too tough. If they're running low on
food supplies, the dad-to-be will literally absorb some of
his own brood for nutrition. Forget great whites, pipefish
fathers may be the most cut-throat creature of the sea. Surprising as it sounds,
there are some dads out there who actually are happy
with their batch of young. When birthing time comes, the young blast out of dad's belly. Nice to know there are
some good guys out there! Loyal Lumpsuckers. Luckily, not all fishy fathers resort to devouring their own young
at the first opportunity. Lumpsuckers may not have
the most glamorous name of all sea critters, but
that doesn't stop them from putting their bodies,
which range from less than an inch long up to two ft
depending on the species on the line for their kids... literally. During mating season, males
compete to create the best nest to lure a female's attention. The lady lumpsucker will
then pick her favorite and lay around a
jaw-dropping 350,000 eggs, before swimming off and leaving the guys to take care of things. And boy do they take care of things. Dad will remain with his eggs
by attaching to nearby rocks with a sucker formed
from modified pelvic fins that have evolved into suction discs. The male's job is to protect
the eggs from predators, and fan water over them
to keep them oxygenated. Seems easy enough, right? Other than the fact that
waves are constantly crashing into the shallow pools where they reside. Fortunately, that's where
their special suction-cup comes in handy! But walloping waves aren't
the father's only problem. This process can take an
eye-watering eight weeks! Imagine being stuck on a
rock with nothing to do but fan eggs for over 1,300 hours! Though boredom isn't the only problem. When the tide recedes,
these daring dads still stay with their spawn, even in
the face of any hungry gulls and crows. Sounds like a fearless father. Well, that's until his kids are born. When the little lumpsuckers
eventually hatch from their eggs, dad returns
back to deeper waters, leaving his kids to fend for themselves. Kinda reminds me of my
dad... more than 20 years and he still hasn't
come back from the store with the milk he said he was going to get! Bulky Babies. Not all sea life lays eggs, however. Take the blue whale,
aka the biggest animal on the entire planet,
with the average length of a mature female measuring
in at more than 72 ft and weighing in at close to 250,000 lbs! Because whales are marine mammals, the females carry the
offspring in their womb and have live births. And boy is it a big birth. The fetus develops inside
the mother's uterus, growing at about one inch
per day after three months of gestation. But, if you think that sounds
big, baby blue whales stretch to a whopping 12 feet in length after seven months in the womb! For some context, a
healthy human baby measures about 14 inches long after
seven months of pregnancy, less than one tenth the
size of blue whale babies. After 12 months, they emerge tail-first, stretching about 23 feet and weighing in at a staggering three tons,
making them four times heavier than a cow. If pushing a truck-sized kid
out wasn't enough of a pain, these mothers actually have to go through the effort of caring
for their kid as well! Mr. Lumpsucker could never! Mama supplies the young calf
with more than 40 gallons of milk, that's about a
bathtub's worth of milk every day for up to seven months! That's more than 8800 gallons. Oh mama. Spirally Spawn. Unlike blue whales, bullhead shark mothers don't have the tricky task of
pushing out a three-ton baby. But that doesn't make the
birth of their own babies any less bizarre. These sharks are oviparous, meaning that they birth
their young by laying eggs. Not much is known about
how these guys spawn, but one thing we do know is
that mother bullhead sharks lay some of nature's gnarliest looking eggs. You probably think of eggs
in the classic oval-shaped, chicken-laid shape, or maybe even a small, spherical fish egg. But it seems Bullhead
Sharks didn't get the memo. Female bullhead sharks lay
up to 16 spiral-shaped, four-inch-long eggs every year. They look more like a
pinecone than something that's come out of an animal! So, what's the reason for
these eccentric egg cases? Unlike most fish, who carelessly
spurt their eggs and sperm into the water, bullhead
shark mothers carefully find a suitable home for their eggs. The mama will carefully
swirl the egg in her mouth, before locking the specially
adapted egg between rocks in hard-to-reach places. This prevents them from washing
away and stops any predators from finding an easy snack
of scrambled shark egg for breakfast. You'd probably think that the mother would be waiting impatiently
for her egg spirals to eventually hatch, but no. As soon as she finds a suitable
crevasse for her young, she leaves them to figure the rest out. So much for motherly love! Egg-stravaganza. Of course, bullhead sharks aren't the only ocean dwelling critters to birth their young by laying eggs. All seven species of sea
turtle also produce eggs. But, unlike bullhead
sharks, sea turtle eggs look a tad more traditional. But what's amazing about
the birth of these cuties, is the unique process that
their mothers go through to ensure their survival. Adult sea turtles spend their life at sea, with females only ever leaving
the water to lay their eggs. Pregnant females utilize
the earth's magnetic field like a GPS, using it to locate the beaches where they themselves
hatched years before, which they'll head to en mass. But, what's the reason for this? Are sea turtles sentimental? No, not exactly. Female sea turtles from different islands tend to have specific genes which vary in what they're immune to. So, returning to the
island where they were born aids their babies in
fighting off local diseases. But before their babies are actually born, these mamas have to lay their eggs. Using their back flippers,
the females dig a nest in the sand, before popping out around 110 golf ball-like eggs. All of a sudden, sea turtles
have got a lot less cute. After mom has finished
up, she returns to sea, leaving the eggs to
incubate in the warm sand for about 60 days. Eventually the eggs
hatch, usually at night, giving the hatchlings a better
chance of avoiding predators on their journey to the water. And it seems like they need
all the help they can get, considering only about one
in 1,000 turtles survive to adulthood, with many either
suffering from dehydration or falling prey to predators. Just as well mama popped
out so many eggs then! Clawsome Mothers. Now, we couldn't talk about beach babies without giving a mention to
Christmas Island red crabs. These crimson crustaceans are
found on Christmas Island, surprise surprise off the
northwest coast of Australia. Each year, they make a mass migration from the island's forests
to its coast to breed. And I mean mass! Over 50 million of these critters migrate across the island each year. And, considering that Christmas Island is over 1,000 times smaller than Florida, you can imagine the constant red tailback. In fact, it's so busy, that
the red carpet of crabs even forces roads to close! After migrating in their millions, these colorful crabs breed by the coast. At this point, the male's
job is done, so he returns to the forest, how endearing. But, unlike her mate, the female's work is far from finished. They lay about 100,000 eggs... each, which they then incubate in
their abdominal brood pouch. Without fail, red crabs spawn
their almost infinite supply of babies at high tide during
the last quarter of the moon. And no, it's not because they've
adopted some pagan ritual. It's because at this
time, the female crabs have a shorter distance to reach the sea before releasing their eggs. And boy do they release them in style. (cheerful music) Those are some mom dance moves for sure, but the manic shaking is
actually meant to release the hundreds of thousands of eggs. You may be wondering
how does a mother look after that many children? Well, she doesn't. Red crab eggs hatch as
soon as they make contact with the water, and from that
point, they're on their own. If they make it, the baby
crabs will remain at sea for the next three to
four weeks as they develop before the survivors return
to invade the beaches in their millions, sometimes billions! But sadly, their chances of
survival aren't very high. The vast majority will never
make it out of the water, swallowed up by fish, manta rays or even enormous whale sharks. Talk about shellfish parents! Yeah, I'll see myself out for that one. Squid Game. Back in the depths of the
ocean, you'll find a squid with a very peculiar style
of protecting her eggs. Most species of squid reproduce by depositing their egg
cases on the ocean floor, but some squid take a more
tentacles-on approach. Researchers have recently
discovered two species of squid, the gonatus onyx and bathyteuthis berryi, that carry eggs in their arms. It may look like these mothers
are sprinkling fairy dust in the deep sea, but those
speckles are their eggs! Currently, not much is
known about the behavior of bathyteuthis berryi mothers. But the struggles of gonatus onyx moms is more well-understood. Carrying just one baby
sounds like hard work, but these mamas have to
hold some 3,000 of them, for a whole nine months! Sadly, for these squid,
the struggle doesn't end at tired arms. Some gonatus onyx have
been observed with nubs, where two feeding
tentacles should have been. It's believed that mothers
bite them off before spawning, to make up more space for their egg mass. But arms aren't the only sacrifice these mettlesome mothers make. Carrying so many embryos
means that the mothers aren't able to swim quickly,
putting them at risk of being caught by predators. Fortunately for gonatus
onyx, floating around at depths between 5,000 and 7,000 feet means they avoid most predators. However, some deep diving
animals, like elephant seals would no doubt make a
quick snack of mom and co if they crossed paths. But hungry hunters aren't the
only problem for mama squid. The gonatus onyx doesn't
feed whilst holding her batch of young at all. Yeah, you heard right,
these mothers will go without food for up to
nine months, by which time they're both starving and exhausted. After a nine month-long struggle,
mom eventually gives birth to what looks like a
cluster of mini stars! Sadly, not everything about
this birth is so majestic. After the eggs hatch and float
off, mommy dearest perishes from starvation and sinks to the seafloor, where she and her empty egg
sack become food for scavengers. And I thought my mom had it rough! The Virgin Sawfish. Now, if you think a pregnant
squid mama looks strange, get a load of the smalltooth sawfish. Yet, the story behind how
sawfish, which, despite the name, are actually part of the
Ray family can give birth is even weirder than
their kooky appearance. Usually, there's nothing
unremarkable about the way the smalltooth sawfish gives birth. The male fertilizes an egg from a female, who after 12 months, can
give birth to up to 20 pups, similar to the previously
mentioned stingray. Sadly however, these creatures
are critically endangered due to habitat loss. And less rays means less
chance of finding a mate. Luckily, female smalltooth sawfish have a trick up their fin. Scientists discovered that
about 3% of sawfish living in a Florida estuary were born
without ever having fathers. That takes being a single
mother to a new level! This form of asexual reproduction
is called parthenogenesis. It occurs when there are no males present to fertilize the female's eggs! Now usually, reproduction
involves an egg cell and a sperm cell, each providing 50% of the genetic information
to create an organism. But, with parthenogenesis,
the egg cell combines with what's called a polar
body; a cell that's a byproduct of egg production. When push comes to shove,
these clever critters can use the polar body to
fertilize the egg cell! In the short-term, it's a
pretty ingenious solution to solving the sawfish's
population problem. However, further down the line, these less genetically diverse
offspring are more vulnerable to harmful mutations and
environmental changes. Even so, if it wasn't for
these marvelous mommas and their virgin births, the whole species may have already been wiped
off the face of the earth! Spawn-Spraying Sunfish. Sawfish aren't the only
creepy-looking sea critters to have crazy birthing stories though. Sunfish are huge ocean dwellers that can reach 10 ft fin-to-fin and weigh more than 2,200
lbs that look more like a massive pancake than
something you'd expect to find in the ocean. But like with the sawfish,
the way these guys give birth is even more shocking than their shape. Sunfish reproduce through a method known as broadcast spawning,
where the male and female release both eggs and sperm into the water and they fertilize externally. The female can produce a
massive 300 million eggs, the most of any vertebrate on the planet. When the eggs hatch,
sunfish larvae are only 3/32 of an inch long and weigh
less than a paperclip! Yet, despite their slight
size at birth, they grow a colossal 60 million times their original weight when mature. If humans had that kind of
growth, adults would weigh around 220,000 tons. For some context, that's
about the same weight as the 1,730 foot-high
Willis Tower in Chicago! You may be wondering where
all these giants are lurking, considering that mama
pops out 300 million eggs. Well, the chances of a
sunfish egg surviving are pretty slim, with just 0.0003% of sunfish larvae surviving to
tell the tale of their birth and colossal growth. Man, I thought human kids went
through crazy growth spurts. So, which crazy sea critter
birth surprised you the most? Do you know any other
bizarre birthing methods from the deep blue? Let me know down in the comments below and thanks for watching.
(cool upbeat music)
