Litter (animal)  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to:
navigation, search For other meanings of litter, see Litter
(disambiguation).  A litter is the offspring at one birth of
animals from the same mother and usually from one set of
parents. The word is most often used for the offspring of
mammals, but can be used for any animal that gives birth to
multiple young. In comparison, a group of eggs and the offspring
that hatch from them are frequently called a clutch, whilst
young birds are often called a brood. A litter is defined as
anywhere between three and eight offspring.  Animals from the
same litter are referred to as litter-mates.  Animals frequently
display grouping behavior in herds, swarms, flocks, or colonies,
and these multiple births derive similar advantages. A litter
offers some protection from predation, not particularly to the
individual young but to the parents' investment in breeding.
With multiple young, predators could eat several and others
could still survive to reach maturity, b