The litter size of mammals can vary hugely, from one to over thirty in some cases.
Young mammals are entirely dependent on their mother’s milk for survival, so a female has little to gain by producing more offspring than she has teats.
As a rule of thumb, a species’ maximum litter size is about equal to the number of teats, while the average is about half that.
Which mammal has the biggest litters?
The tailless tenrec, a spiny shrew-like creature from Madagascar, has more teats (26) than any other mammal and also holds the records for average (18.4) and maximum (32) litter size. Females have been seen foraging with 32 weaned young, suggesting that they can survive even without a teat each.
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