Intrauterine cannibalism

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Intrauterine cannibalism is a behaviour in some carnivorous species, in which multiple embryos are created at impregnation, but only one or two are born. The larger or stronger ones consume their less-developed siblings as a source of nutrients.

In adelphophagy, the fetus eats sibling embryos, while in oophagy it feeds on eggs.[1]

Intrauterine cannibalism is known to occur in lamnoid sharks[2] and in the Fire Salamander,[3] as well as in some teleost fishes.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Crespi, Bernard; Christina Semeniuk (2004). "Parent-Offspring Conflict in the Evolution of Vertebrate Reproductive Mode". The American Naturalist 163 (5): 635-654. DOI:10.1086/382734. 
  2. ^ Hamlett, William C.; Allison M. Eulitt, Robert L. Jarrell, Matthew A. Kelly (1993). "Uterogestation and placentation in elasmobranchs". Journal of Experimental Zoology 266 (5): 347-367. DOI:10.1002/jez.1402660504. 
  3. ^ Stebbins, Robert C.; Nathan W. Cohen (1995). A Natural History of Amphibians. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 9. ISBN 0-69110-251-1. 


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