Why Do Animals Eat Their Own Babies?
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
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It might seem pretty dark from a human point of view, but for some animals, feasting on your own offspring is the best way to ensure you and your other babies might have a more successful life.
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Why do some animals treat their Offspring as owned "Pets"?
No hamster??? 🙄🙄
It's possible the skink also eats the eggs so the snake doesn't learn that's an easy meal.
@@KingOfGamesss🎉
@@SynBelcuore Equals...not "Property"
Takes "ordering off the kids menu" to a whole new meaning.
Nothing like a piece of succulent baby, after all.
Jfc
HAH
What a modest proposal that is
Lol
My sister and I got hamsters when we were kids, assured by the pet shop they were both female. Well, one was male, so the other got pregnant. The mother ate a couple of them, but left 2 alive. Then she died one night, and the babies ate most of her face.
Why does every hamster story end so brutal
Jesus
Sounds like the plot of a Shakespearean play
@@wolfkinic2062 because people don’t care enough about hamsters to care for them properly :(
Cute
#1. The skink eating her eggs when snake attacks are too frequent reminds me of a story I heard about a battle. When the women saw from the camp that their army was routed, they dashed their infants on the rocks. Rather than let their babies be enslaved, molested, and slaughtered by the advancing enemy, these women preferred to quickly kill their offspring themselves. Babies are too young to run or fight, and carrying them slows you down. I wish I could recall which history podcast I heard this on and what people groups were involved.
I was also given the impression that the slavery situation in Brazil a few hundred years ago was so terrible that slave women would kill their own children. Can you imagine the pure despair a woman must be experiencing to murder her own child?
@CalLadyQED it's interesting to even call it murder, technically it is, obviously, but the death and torture was inevitable and it was mercy
Fairly certain there's a bible verse in Psalms about dashing babies heads on rocks
Didn't the Japanese do this during WWII as they lost because they fought the USA would do unspeakable things to their kids?
@@benlanning8795 , yes, you're thinking of Psalm 137:9
In case # 1, denying the snake food could mean the snake dies and the lizard's next generation survives.
Yep. That is, in fact, a very effective measure. Allowing the snake to eat your eggs only ensures it will be around the next time you try.
Snakes go long times between meals, sometime even up to a year
If you have kids, you can kind of understand
Dude that comment is pure gold XD
This is great 😂
I think you should consider this. If it’s a urge, it may have been genetically transferred to your kids. I don’t know if I want that type of genome mixing in our pool of free loving genetics, so it may actually be the most moral and upstanding thing you can possibly do (by preventing that thought from happening in the future generations)
Also if you don't have.....
Is that what happened to Charles' kid? Your family therapy sessions must be intense
"...he either has to wait for his current clutch to hatch, or..."
[AD Break] Domino's new loaded tots are here.
Perfect
Sometimes ads come at just the right time lol.
Yes! 😅@@peggedyourdad9560
I was excited when I saw the thumbnail of this video (let me explain!!) I am a biology major at a research-heavy institution. We frequently hold biology seminars for doctors around the world to come and explain their findings. It's a crazy coincidence that most of the articles cited here for giant salamander research were actually presented to us at my college by Dr. Takahashi himself! I remembered seeing these images in this video also used in his presentation, which is just so cool to see^^
That is so cool. I bet that was really interesting
Grandma: "You're so cute I could just eat you up!"
Yup. I was always gonna get "cooked up tender - especially my toes" 😂
@@KOKO-uu7yd specific... O_o
You're grown, so you were probably the favorite who made it 😁
I was surprised rats and other rodent creatures didn't get mentioned--that was a rude awakening to me as a kid, we thought aww how cute mama's caring for her babies. Then, a day later, several were gone (despite being in a tight enclosure). We found a half eaten body, and later witnessed the mom chowing down
One reason why comments on animal vids from people that overly humanize them ("See! Mamas always do what it takes to protect their kids" and that kind of noise) irk me.
sounds like your fault
The 'tight enclosure' seems to be the problem.
@@AirLancer Moms everywhere: Life's hard. Trust me, this is for your own good.
*Nom nom*
@Hank, for the skinks there might be a benefit for the species as a whole by the mom eating the eggs rather than letting the snake get some of her investing energy back. If the majority of the time when a snake attacks a nest it is eventually rewarded with meal it will seek out that type of nest, on the other hand if the snake frequently puts a lot of effort into a particular nest and never gets a reward, it will seek out an easier meal. So eating her own eggs might be the equivalent of humans using bear proof canisters -- the purpose isn't so much about saving the food (or even garbage) for ourselves, but rather to not teach the bear that humans are an easy meal source.
I originally thought that's why campers and hikers are advised to fight back if a mountain lion (cougar/puma) attacks you: even if it kills you, you want them to learn that humans aren't easy meals. However, on further reflection, I realized that it's to increase your probability of survival. But both are good.
That was my first thought: It discourages the snake, never getting anything out of the effort. So eating the eggs actually have several benefits.
@@ArawnOfAnnwn Oh, the skink isn't likely to knowingly consider it. It's possible such actions became instinctive as they helped the ones who did it to survive better.
@@ArawnOfAnnwn They don't do it because they have imagined it first. It's just instinctual behaviour that is passed on because it works.
@@ArawnOfAnnwn If you cannot imagine at least two reasons for observable behavior patterns, maybe you need to rethink your stance.
Compared to the rest of the list, Giant Salamanders seem like straight up parent of the year material
In #5's case, I could definitely see that kind of feeding (especially given that it's done after the colony is well established) acting as a way to inoculate the larvae against potential pathogens. After all, small quantities of pathogenic material on the queen's mouthparts could be transferred to a larva and better prepare its immune system for the kinds of pathogens it will encounter as an adult.
#5 is a reverse mammal. The babies nurse the parent...
I think it might actually be the other way around, the larva's immune systems might be working as a shield for the queen, ants lack digestive cultures which makes them more susceptible to infections from the food they eat, if a larva is sick it will be removed but they can't check the health of the prey before attacking and can't necessarily ensure its safe to eat, if the babies get sick thats one thing but if the queen does it can spell ruin for the whole colony so they are a step to ensure that doesn't happen
@@ConstantChaos1 That's a really interesting take I hadn't considered! Thanks for posting that!
@@Jobobn1998 well you inspired it by making me think of ant immunology lol
Fascinating conversation y'all, I now have much to ponder, thank you
We had a cat in our foster program that got named Hannibal, her one surviving kitten was dubbed Clarice
Watching my mother raise 6 kids through their teenage years, including me... I understand why some animals eat their own babies.
Exactly. These scientists just need to hire a couple of moms and then they'll understand
Or they could try to tend several babies at once. They will know the meaning of hell.
@@EtrancicalA couple moms? They just need to hire a couple of people who don’t want to have kids, period, then ask what we would do without birth control/abortions. I get why animals eat their young 😂 I would do the same!
@@asmrtpop2676lol then it’ll show like in china or other populations which end up benign male dominated to the max. Fewer woman in china due to abortion, the government in-forced it and now there are less woman as most choose male babies due to Chinese work culture
@@Philotheist777 Selective abortions is what you’re referring to, and was pushed onto the population because of the one child policy they had. Abortion is not the issue you should be focusing on, dude. It’s not the same as sex selective abortion, which is disgusting and should be criticized. “Lol we’re gonna be like China with abortion legal!” No. Just… no. Besides, if you’re American, women have had that rolled back already, why are you crying?
People often forget or don’t realize, it’s humanity that is the weird ones having strayed from a path of survival and selective evolution.
We are weird but not because of that. Animals that have few children (humans, elephants, whales...) very rarely, if ever, eat them.
@@juanausensi499 eating babies aside humans are very weird, as we do not follow natural laws of survival anymore. Humanity's way of life is very unnatural compared to the rest of the worlds critters. We try to save everyone and everything, those who obsess over money become blinded to the worlds issues and for the most part, the genes we past forward aren't selected because they survived, they're selected because we allow them to stay in the gene pool when Nature would otherwise remove them, for example eating babies.
While it is nice that we as a species can feel safe enough to live like this I do think it is bad to be so out of touch with nature like we are, cause when things get bad, and they will get bad, be it days from now or a few centuries from now, humanity will find it hard to cope if an extinction level event happens, normal peaceful every day life will be out the window for many.
In high school biology, we were each assigned a mouse in a cage. The cage lid had a triangular fold where we could put food. One day I came in to find that my mouse had given birth to several babies. That weekend was a long one. I put as much food in the fold as I could (I had an idea of what was going to happen because it had happened to my lab partner). Unfortunately, when I came back in the following Tuesday, all the babies were gone.
The teacher explained that it was in the mother had a better chance of passing her genes to the next generation by keeping herself from starving and going on to have another litter. Of course, she had no way to know that she was in a lab and would never get to procreate again. :(
Mama Cats do it when they have any born dead kitten, removing potential health risk for other kittens and recovering some strength after grueling labor
Grew up in the country. Rabbits, cats, dogs, pigs, spiders, etc…seen each devour their babies up close. Nature is intriguing! Oh, and I didn’t eat my young😂
You sure? It seems to be the popular thing to do in the country.
I recommend giving it a shot! A real delecacy!
Dogs!?
In some countries, political parties eat their own also, if they don’t adhere to 100% of the herd groupthink/dogma 100% of the time.
yet
Honorable mention: scorpion mothers mate when there is a plentiplentiful food supply and keep their babies on their backs who grow by eating tiny food particles that drift by, and the mother scorpion will eat her babies when she feels hungry, the only ones growing to adulthood being the ones that were lucky enough to grow big enough to walk away before they got eaten
"Dad, why are we behind the shed?"
"Sorry son. You got a fever, I can't have you infecting your sister too" *cocks shotgun*
*Looks at The Last of Us*
...yeah, checks out.
Me, looking at my baby: "Because they're delicious"
Whenever people talk about animals eating their own babies, they impliy there malice or apathy involved in doing so. But it mostly seems like an act of desperation for factors beyond their control.
But it mostly seems like an act of desperation for factors beyond their control. For example being a starving animal in the wild lol, and not a mormon on his sofa
As it is with humans "mercy killing" their little ones
We don't know whether the salamander feels apathetic or not.
@@CalLadyQED
Humans are frequently apathetic or cruel towards their offspring and they kill their offspring for various reasons, not just for food.
@@MrCmon113 We vastly overestimate how special we are. We've proven animals can care, go into depression enough to die, and experience all sorts of things we do.
The reality is anything we feel can be found in animals because we are animals.
I was a schoolteacher, so I thoroughly know why some animals eat their young!
Uhhhhh….
You could make entire dysfunctional family sitcoms from each of these animals.
It's not just the benefit of gaining the energy of eaint the eggs. The mother lizard also removes food from the area, showing the predator that there is nothing to be gained here and please don't bother trying again later.
A classic story of boy meets grill.
I used to work with a cat breeder, one morning I went in to feed and clean everybody, got to the room that had a cat and her recent litter....was a huge shock to see a kitten head sitting on the floor, just staring at me! Mom had eaten the rest of the body😵
OMG that is traumatic.
that happened to my childhood best friend's cat's babies... multiple times. she was well taken care of... it was soooooo weird and scary for us little kids😭
I wonder if the skinks eating their own eggs helps deter predators spending the energy to try. Like "after all that and I got nothing"
The voices of generations
Morgan freeman, David Attenborough, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Hank Green
This reminds me of an ecological study on overpopulation I once read about. A population of beetles...or something was bred selecting for high fecundity. Over multiple generations, as the population increased and increased, the larval stage became longer and the larvae themselves became more defenseless. The population had selected for traits that made it easier to eat their children.
I would link this to why school only react when kids fight back against bullies
I took group theory in University. My advisor said it won't count towards my major and isn't an approved elective, but I took it anyway. I had been wanting to learn it for several years and I'm so glad I took that class. Group theory is incredibly applicable in understanding the world; it's general knowledge I'm happy I have.
I'm a bit surprised no birds made the list. They frequently eat their own eggs and chicks if there is a genetic defect or they don't think the environment can sustain them. Adult chickens will even happily cannibalize each other if given the chance. Once they see blood, they are drawn to it like sharks.
I was just looking for an apartment after the application fees and requirements this feels relevant.
Good luck, fellow human.
I had a female rabbit that gave birth over night. The next morning, there were 6 little baby heads with her. I'm off of rabbits for life.😂
That's shocking to me. I would have thought rabbits never ate meat.
@@l.n.3372 it's common for rabbits to eat their children.
@@l.n.3372 Supposedly, a lot of first time mothers do it, or it's caused by stress.
@@l.n.3372 Basically all herbivores eat meat for one reason or another. If they eat too much of it, the saturated fat causes them heart disease.
The males get territorial like that. I had one kill the first litter... Crazy thing is, until then I didn't understand why other rabbit farmers kept the males separated
When I was a kid we had a couple of dogs, and one of them was specially aggressive. She was quite vicious which made us really scared of her. She ended up having 6 puppies, and I vividly remember the dog securing her territory and attacking anyone who dared come touch her newborns, we all thought she was just being protective of her puppies, as nature would posit. The next day, my dad went to check up on the dog and he found out there were only three puppies left, there was dry blood strewn all over, and that was not even the most horrific part. My dad managed to take away the puppies and later that day I recall seeing the dog with something dark in it's mouth, going towards the garden. I told my aunt, and when the dog had left the area she dug up where the dog had kept its treasure only to find that it was one of her puppies head.
She was stressed
@@Boomer289-ol2vv she was possessed
Classic case of "I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it" 😂
Yet, when you say "Please do". They won't.
Maybe because they want you to suffer. Or because they care more about staying out of trouble than sparing you a life of misery. Either way, it's vile.
@@MaximeDecroo cringe
This video made me realize that natures parental instinct are closer to a statistics class
all of evolution is a statistics class really, and human values like love, family bonds, and morals are just evolutionary byproducts
Ah yes, the "we don't have to worry about saving up to send this one to college" of the animal kingdom.
Touching on yesterday's video, I really want to know why laboratory mice do this. At the lab I work at filial cannibalism is rampant. Just today I bagged another day old litter of half eaten corpses. From what Ive observed there is no consistent provocation setting this behavior off.
something tells me the lab mice are stressed from being in the lab
@@drewdorkhead I mean, they're also inbred as heck because lab mice have to be _identical_ , that's a large part of the point, getting a bunch of near-clones so you can be absolutely sure that any differences between two groups are based on the one factor you deliberately changed. However, this also means that lab mice are... kind of strange and unhealthy in general, so as another recent Sci Show episode showed there are current efforts in making other lines of mice for laboratory use that are more 'normal' and come in a diverse set of varieties, but are still _relatively_ consistent within a variety.
I'd totally believe that something in their rather limited genetics might either be making them more stressed, or making the babies seem sickly to their parents, or making the parents generally more likely to eat the babies, or some combination of factors. It might have very little to do with their actual treatment, but the nice thing about lab mice is they're all (more or less) the same, and scientists spend a lot of time staring at them, so if they have such a tendency (or something that triggers the behavior), it's almost certain somebody somewhere has explained it and wrote at least one paper on the subject.
@@05Matz Completely agree, sounds like you've got some experience in that field. Bunch of factors in play considering they don't have normal "population" characteristics. I more of just meant that the conditions they are raised and kept in could make them more susceptible to being stressed
I remember many years ago when i was in 5th grade we were learning about aquariums and terrariums and got to make some in groups out of 2 liter bottles, and we had guppies and little snails for our aquariums. Well, we put them in the cut in half 2 liter bottle and then went to lunch, and when we came back most of the groups were missing guppies and some had half eaten ones. We got to have an unexpected lesson on cannibalism that day 😅
There's some kind of fish that sucks up all of their babies everytime there is a predator nearby. As soon as the danger passes they spit them back out again.
Because if you eat someone else's babies, they tend to get upset.
I was a 4H kid. I raised rabbits for show but if we didnt carefully monitor and watch the mothers we could wake up and find that the rabbit, a consummate herbivore that only ate plants. could, and would eat their children if they were runts sometimes. Not every time but we found a lot of tiny feet in those nest boxes. Even chickens will cannibalize themselves and it doesnt take a food shortage to initiate it
I went to a school called Church Farm School. Worked on the school farm (and went to church). Saw mother pigs eat dead pigs after mothers accidentally rolled over on them and crushing them.
Imagine you're just sitting in your crib vibin' and your parents are looking at you with a fork and knife
Hey! I knew about vampire ants from when I used to watch Ants Canada. Cool to see Sci Show cover rhem.
salamander dad1 : my brood is beginning to succumb to fungal infection! i do not know what to do!
salamander dad 2: friend, i may have a remedy! just a little lifestyle change, nothing too fancy. a...a modest proposal, if you will.
A Swift solution indeed!
When he said, "gobble up the infected!"
I lost it!😂
Eat the zombies before they can eat you.🤣🤣🤣
Every season the National Aviary in Pittsburgh hosts some peregrine falcon cams for the birds that nest in the cities, and a few years ago a female brooded three eggs fully to hatching, and then ate the babies one by one as they hatched. Since she did it immediately, researches that usually check and band the birds never even got their hands on the chicks, so they had no way of knowing if she did it because the babies were unwell in some way or otherwise. Still a mystery!
It's sometimes easy to forget that species are in fact individuals with imperfect physiology and individual behavours. For example, if a female falcon had been nest-raiding before, she wouldn't necessarily distinguish between 'my young' and 'yummy hatchlings'. Or, there could be a confounding factor related not to the chicks' health, but to the parent's compromised ability to develop a parental bond and appropriate behaviours.
@@luciesimpson6437 exactly! There are so many factors that could contribute to it, and it all happened so fast. It's a fascinating world!
@@luciesimpson6437 Oh god the "thought process" going from "my eggs my darling babies" to "who left these delicious morsels here?"
"So why do animals eat their own babies"
First image is of a dog with puppies
We all fear what we might be about to be shown
I JUST did an presentation on Monday on a recent journal article about filial cannibalism in Hellbender Salamanders. Sending this to my professor because I think she’ll appreciate the coincidence :)
6:32 those teeny little legs on the giant salamanders 😂😂
when I was a little I once saw a little pup in the streets get run over by a car . Then it's mom n other dogs of their gang gathered together. . All I remember was there was only some blood after they were gone . Idk if they ate it or the dogs ate it n the mother took a part way but I do remember they fighting to get to that spot .
AFRICAN clawed frogs will willingly eat their own tadpoles - but they like eating those of an endangered South African frog even more.
The best one is crab. The way they casually pick them up one at a time and plop them in their mouth like popcorn. It's simultaneously hilarious and horrifying.
Still tryna figure out why Piggy (my female Syrian hamster) ate half of her newborns. Was I the threat or was she just hungry? One moment I saw her holding on to a baby the next moment that baby was headless 🤷🏻♀️
Stress of any kind can cause this. Too small of a cage, a predatory animal in the house, or you can be causing it.
A lot of times it's due to the cage being too small, causing chronic stress
ants canada had some vampire ants for a while and documented their feeding on the larve i'm pretty sure he would love it if you used some of his content as long as you said it was from him....he'd probably love to be interviewed or participate as a guest if you do some ant videos ;)
I had a box turtle who laid an egg (infertile) and then immediately turn around and start eating it
Before birth control, the only solution was to eat real baby back ribs...dripping with sauce.
Really eye-opening content about a bizarre aspect of animal behavior. The explanations provided are both intriguing and enlightening!
One also interesting case of filial cannibalism is male calico cat. Male calico cat is an anomaly, they have XXY chromosome (Klinefelter syndrome, male cat can only naturally orange or black cuz they only have one X chromosome). Mama cat will eat them right after giving birth if she spot them. One of my cat named Owi is male calico, when my neighbor cat giving birth I instantly separate 3 of the calico offsprings, turns out one of them is a male. One other thing that I notice that every other cat is hostile to Owi, like literally every cat in my neighbourhood, when Owi approach them they instantly hiss at him or attack him. I don't really know the reason of this. Owi live for 6 years, his early life was a struggle cuz he got sick easily and severely underweight cuz he only drink formula milk, but he strive and able to grow up to be a healthy and chonky boi
@Talitha yes, that's why I never allow him to go out without me
If your chickens have a worm load they will eat their own eggs to help get a protein boost to help fight off the parasites.
Great imagery, I can picture the scene
Also when caring for chickens, it's vital to mix in shells with their feed, lest they eat their own eggs in a bid to boost their calcium levels
I completely agree with nature. Sometimes it's better to terminate an offspring from a very early stage than giving miserable lives for the offspring and the parents.
Now if only we could get you to serve on the Supreme Court, our fight could be more successful...
@@koriw1701then start with yourself as they did the same in china and it made less females as most female pregnancies were canceled and the population might collapse now
@@Philotheist777
Lmao life time of suffering vs sexist people not wanting daughters.
Better yet we have female offspring without males in our lives (sperm banks) and terminate male ones!
@@Philotheist777no one said anything about limiting people to having only 1 child
Agreed
This video had the vibes of the old SciShow, the SciShow I fell in love with... I would like more videos with this style, and thank you.
Yeah I’m with you. It feels like pre-pandemic sci show was just banger after banger, and now they’re consistently not as interesting.
Im here like, did they fully mine _all_ of the genuinely interesting science stuff on earth and now there’s no good content left to explore or what??
Anyone who has ever kept Goldfish knows baby eating all too well.
That’s why I had a separate fish bowl for the babies.
Could it be that some animals find that their babies are magically delicious??? 🌈 ❤🌛⭐️🍀♦️🤣
Same reason people smell their farts. Everyone loves their own brand.😂
I appreciate that reference!
@@calebdonaldson8770 whats the reference?
@@shifty1927 Fat Bastard. Austin Powers 3.
Infinite food glitch
It's all about Risk and Returns.
- Mr. Horney Fish
I'm surprised that they didn't mention the zoo where the jet fighters flew past low to the ground and stressed a whole load of animals, including Tigers, into eating their offspring.
There are no mammals and birds among these examples, but I'm pretty sure there are instances of mothers from these classes eating their offspring. Rodents, for example, come to mind. I'm sure there aren't many cases, though, due to the very nature of mammals and birds, and only ocurr in extreme circumstances (sickly babies, stillborn).
Nice to see that some of nowadays parent's behavior can be explained by science.
All conservatives ranting about how motherhood comes "naturally" to anyone female should watch this video.
I mean if it can come naturally to a male fish 🤷♂️
Well the simplest answer to this question?
It's because they taste so dang delicious!
correct me if im wrong but dont lions do this too? like i know the male will kill other males offspring's when they take over the pride, but i think the lioness will also do that if the male is not up for the task and they force the male to leave and then kill the cups
Some analytics recommendation site must be recommending videos about animals eating their own babies... Tsuki just made a video about this.
Why don't we?
Anakin the Younglingslayer likes this video.
Cats eat their stillborn babies to refuel, keep the area around their surviving babies clean, and to avoid pests being attracted.
Yeah eating the stragglers is a solid parenting strategy.
This is amazingly gruesome, biology is so awesome haha
"Why do animals eat their own children?" I'm going out on a limb here, but, maybe because their hungry? 😅
A very different kind of baby back ribs.
SciShow consistently delivering quality content as always. Been a while since I watched one but as usual impressed with all the interesting content packed into a video and so glad to see Hank!
Imagine if our ancestors ate babies born with a birth defect instead of leaving them in the woods. It would arguably be more humane, as gruesome as it is. Either way, I’m glad society has progressed enough to where those born with non-preferable conditions can live alongside their community due to modern support systems.
Actually, archaeologists have found several prehistoric skeletons which had severe injuries and deformities, yet the individuals had still managed to live on for years, likely due to their fellow tribe members giving them food and protecting them. Neanderthals probably had a more humane treatment of the sick and injured than the modern-day USA.
Honestly the Dracula ants are basically just mammals in reverse
Gives "favourite child" a whole new slant
Animal: “I brought you into this world, and by God, I’ll take you out!” Chomp, chomp!
Have you tried raising a teen???
When I read the title, first obvious answer that popped into my head was "because their hungry"
As a woman that saw cat cannibalisim,this is still intense
Thank you! I will be notifying my children of this option tonight.
I was hoping you would touch on dogs, many times I've seen the mum eat stillborn babies which makes total sense imo as it's just energy for a struggling mummy who has many mouths to feed at that point
man some of these experiments sound horrible. imagine using these on humans...some of them are downright nightmare inducing.
We could learn a lot from these animals.
Like... what exactly?
@@General12th now you why humans do infanticide
Yeah. You look tasty...
my reaction to your comment is your pfp
@@General12th They teach us to have an open mind about where to find a tasty little snack
Sun skinks also can be found here in the philippines
Gonna call my parents and thank them for not eating me.
Sometimes you just didn’t wanna be a parent. 🤷🏻
Sometimes babies are so cute, you just want to eat them