Birth in non-human primates

The birth process in primates is captured in this series of photographs included above. The photographer, Teresa Palacios, writes: «I try to capture in my photographs the emotions and feelings of the animals, the beauty, the delicacy, through a gesture, a look, and that cause an emotional impact on us.» Non-human primates, including this orangutan mother, give birth alone. The birth canal is larger than the size of the fetus and the delivery is usually uncomplicated. Upper left, birth begins; upper middle, the head is ‘crowning’; upper right and lower left, the newborn is retrieved by the mother; lower middle, mother and newborn rest and begin a period of intimate contact, feeding, and care; lower right, the newborn clings while the mother inspects the placenta and eat it. All the process last 20 minutes. In the wild, infants will remain in close contact with their mother for up to 7 years. Without maternal care and protection the infant will not survive. [Barry Bogin]