By Josie  February 29th, 2024

14 Adorable Baby Animals and What They Eat

In the cozy confines of its mother’s pouch, a kangaroo joey feeds exclusively on her milk.

#1 Kangaroo Joey

Around the age of 6 months, calves start to explore and taste vegetation. Still, their mama’s milk remains their primary food source for several years.

#2 Elephant Calves

As pandas are primarily bamboo eaters, the cub transitions from their mother's milk to bamboo shoots and leaves.

#3 Panda Cubs

Mother’s milk is their initial diet, with calves starting to experiment with leaves within a few weeks, preparing for their adult diet of foliage.

#4 Giraffe Calves

After nursing, they're gradually introduced to meat. Through participation in hunts with the pride they learn the essential hunting skills needed for survival.

#5 Lion Cubs

Dolphin calves thrive on their mother’s milk for up to 2 years, which is not usually seen among marine residents. But remember – dolphins are in fact mammals!

#6 Dolphin Calves

After nursing, they consume ‘pap’—a special form of their mother’s feces that prepares their gut for digesting eucalyptus leaves.

#7 Koala Joeys

Owl owlets rely on their parents for food, consuming regurgitated insects and small mammals.

#8 Owl Owlets

The diet of a butterfly starts in the caterpillar stage, feeding voraciously on the leaves of specific host plants.

#9 Baby Butterflies

Squirrel pups are initially dependent on their mother’s milk, but they soon start to eat nuts, seeds, and fruits.

#10 Squirrel pups

Bat pups nurse from their mothers until they learn to fly and catch insects.

#11 Bat Pups

Tiger cubs are nursed on their mother’s milk before being introduced to meat around 8 weeks old.

#12 Tiger Cubs

Wolf pups start with their mother’s milk, moving on to regurgitated meat from pack members.

#13 Wolf Pups

Hippo calves are unique in nursing underwater from their mothers before starting to eat grass.

#14 Hippo Calves

Explore another story:

Swipe up to read about 36 incredible animals from Alaska.