These Baby Animals Look Entirely Different Once Fully Grown

It’s hard to predict which animals will transform like butterflies upon reaching adulthood. Some animals, like horses or antelopes, come out of the womb looking like miniature versions of their fully grown selves. Other creatures, however, like the great egret, look so different before they hit maturity that you could easily confuse them for an entirely different species.

For some animals, it seems that the drastically different appearance between infancy and adulthood involves protection. Creatures like harp seals or tapirs come into a very dangerous world. Their unique appearances help them blend in with the elements until they can walk, much less defend themselves. Others, like frogs, undergo changes that seem almost impossible. They hatch from eggs as tadpoles, before developing gills, lungs, and legs in short order. No matter the process, plenty of animals undergo remarkable transformations. Let’s take a closer look at 10 examples.

Porcupines

Baby porcupines, called porcupettes, enter the world able to walk but with a markedly different appearance from their parents. They have brown, almost orange, fuzzy fur. After a few days, this fur quickly hardens into the distinctive black-and-white porcupine quills that have made the animal known the world over.

Great Egrets

Mature great egrets have an arresting appearance: white, austere, and elegant. As shown in this Instagram reel, however, great egret chicks look more like dinosaurs. There is some sense of what they will become with their white fur, but otherwise, the chicks seem positively prehistoric.

Giant Pandas

Baby giant pandas, called cubs, are no bigger than a stick of butter when they are born (the above picture of the baby panda in the incubator doesn’t do their size justice). The cubs are pink and utterly at the mercy of the elements. After about a week, cubs begin developing their distinctive black patches of fur around their eyes. It takes another three to four months for them to move on their own.

Tapirs

Adult tapirs are usually a solid brown color, with long, distinctive snouts akin to anteaters. Baby tapirs, however, come out of the womb looking more like zebras. They have vivid white stripes and spots running the length of their bodies. These markings help them blend in with the surrounding foliage until they are old enough to defend themselves.

Emus

Much like tapirs, emus come into the world looking distinctively different than their parents. Newborn emu chicks feature a white striped and spotted coat, which helps them blend in and stay abreast of predators. After about three months, the white markings fade, and emus develop their characteristic dusty brown feathers.

Harp Seals

Like many other creatures, baby harp seals have a distinctive look that protects them until they become less vulnerable. While adults have scattered dark spots around their bodies, newborn babies feature fluffy yellow fur. Within a few days, this turns to white, helping them blend in with the ice and avoid predators. For the next five years, harp seals slowly develop dark spots. This eventually results in a harp-shaped marking on their backs, hence the name.

King Vultures

Upon entering the world, king vulture chicks have distinctive white feathers and dark bald heads. It takes up to four years for the chicks to lose their marble coats and develop fabulous colors. Adult king vultures retain some white fur on their bodies but gain vibrant wattles on their head and bill, often in yellow, pink, and orange tones.

Silvered Leaf Monkeys

In the monkey world, no animal has such a stark shift from infancy to adulthood quite like silvered leaf monkeys. An Old World monkey native to Southeast Asia, the silvered leaf monkey gets its name from its mature greyish coat. Upon birth, however, these creatures are almost neon orange with white faces and feet. It takes between three and five months for their orange fur to transform into a distinguished salt and pepper.

Swans

While adult swans are known for their alabaster white coats, baby swans enter the world with a more ruddy complexion. Called cygnets, the baby swans have fluffy brown or grey fur and dark bills. Upon reaching adulthood, swans’ fur shifts to a gleaming white, and their bills become orange. Plus, adult swans feature an elongated neck unlike their young.

Frogs

Creatures like frogs might have the most drastic transformation of any animal. They start as barely visible tadpoles, with an appearance more like that of a fish featuring long tails and big heads. It takes about six to nine weeks before they develop legs and mature into the full-fledged frog shape we all know and love. Along the way, tadpoles undergo a true metamorphosis. They slowly develop gills, lungs, and even bones. It seems almost impossible to undergo such a change and survive, but frogs do it every day.