Birth

Birth, also known as parturition, is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the fetus at a developmental stage when it is ready to feed and breathe. In some species the offspring is precocial and can move around almost immediately after birth but in others it is altricial and completely dependent on parenting. In marsupials, the fetus is born at a very immature stage after a short gestational period and develops further in its mother's pouch.

It is not only mammals that give birth. Some reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates carry their developing young inside them. Some of these are ovoviviparous, with the eggs being hatched inside the mother's body, and others are viviparous, with the embryo developing inside her body, as in mammals.

Birth in mammals

Large mammals, such as primates, cattle, horses, some antelopes, giraffes, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, elephants, seals, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, generally are pregnant with one offspring at a time; although, they may have twin or multiple births on occasion. In these large animals, the birth process is similar to that of a human though in most, the offspring is precocial. This means that it is born in a more advanced state than a human baby and is able to stand, walk and run (or swim in the case of an aquatic mammal) shortly after birth. In the case of whales, dolphins and porpoises, the single calf is normally born tail first which minimises the risk of drowning. The mother encourages the newborn calf to rise to the surface of the water to breathe.

Birth (disambiguation)

Birth is the process in animals by which an offspring is expelled from the body of its mother.

Birth may also refer to:

See also

Birth (Index Case album)

Birth is the debut indie album by Index Case, released in 2000.

Track listing

Sayuri

Sayuri (さゆり, サユリ) is a common feminine Japanese given name.

Possible writings

Sayuri can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:

The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana.

People

Fictional characters

Sayuri Yamauchi

Sayuri Yamauchi (山内 小百合, Yamauchi Sayuri, May 28, 1956 – March 6, 2012), also known by the stage name Sayuri (紗ゆり), was a Japanese voice actress. Yamauchi voiced Itchy and Maude Flanders on the Japanese dub of The Simpsons, portraying Itchy once again in The Simpsons Movie (2007). Sayuri was formerly affiliated with Kyu Production and affiliated with Aigumi at the time of her death. On March 6, 2012, Yamauchi died of cancer and was 55 years old at the time of her death.

Voice roles

References

External links