Why did our ancestors ditch the shell and start growing babies inside their bodies instead? In this episode of Big Ideas, ...

Platypuses are weird looking. They look like someone stitched together a duck and a beaver—flat bill, webbed feet, and a ...

Porcupettes are born with soft, flexible quills that harden within hours, protecting both mother and baby. Baby porcupines are precocial, able to walk almost immediately and begin climbing within days ...

Scientists studying the evolution of birth in lizards, from egg-laying to live births, have pinpointed the evolutionary genes from which the species is evolving to 'build' a new mode of reproduction.

An echidna in Australia is digging into a termite mound for food. Echidnas are rare mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth. Their sharp spines protect them while they search for insects.

Something occurred to me recently that I’d never thought of before: porcupine birth. Yeah. Ouch, right? Covered head to tail in sharp quills—that’s gotta pose a serious problem in the delivery room.