littermates
Same-birth animal siblings
Littermates are animals born in the same litter—siblings from a single birth.
The term applies mainly to mammals that bear multiple young at once, like dogs, cats, and pigs: The puppy was reunited with her littermates.
Littermates share both parents and often display similar physical traits and temperaments.
Young dogs
- kittensYoung cats
- pupsYoung canines or seals
- cubsYoung wild mammal offspring
- pigletsYoung swine offspring
foals · calves · lambs · bunnies · kits · runt · whelps · joeys
Fellow offspring
- brothersMale children of same parents
- sistersFemale kin or nuns
- twinsSiblings born simultaneously
- tripletsThree born together
offspring · progeny · family · bloodline · lineage · relatedness · birth order · dam
Connection or fondness
- closenessState of proximity
- nurturingSupportive care-giving
- groomingSelf-care for appearance
- cuddlingAffectionate close holding
huddling · warmth · nursing · suckling · imprinting · recognition · scent · familiarity
Gradual dietary independence
- socializationInternalizing cultural norms
- playRecreation or staged drama
- milestonesNotable points of progress
- teethingFirst molars emerging
growth · nursing · learning · coordination · mobility · roughhousing · wrestling · chasing
puppies
Young dogs
piglets · foals · calves · lambs · bunnies · kits · runt · whelps · joeys · ducklings
siblings
Fellow offspring
triplets · offspring · progeny · family · bloodline · lineage · relatedness · birth order · dam · sire
attachment
Connection or fondness
cuddling · huddling · warmth · nursing · suckling · imprinting · recognition · scent · familiarity · comfort
weaning
Gradual dietary independence
- socializationInternalizing cultural norms
- playRecreation or staged drama
- milestonesNotable points of progress
teething · growth · nursing · learning · coordination · mobility · roughhousing · wrestling · chasing · hierarchy
heritability
Genetic share of variation
- genotypeOrganism's complete allele set
- phenotypeObservable characteristics of organism
- DNAHereditary code molecule
genes · alleles · chromosomes · inheritance · recessive · dominant · mutation · pedigree · breeding · inbreeding
- puppy raisingpuppy training, puppy food, puppy socialization, puppy classes, puppy pads
- siblingsbrother, sister, twins, siblings, brothers
- mouse geneticslab mice, embryonic stem cells, backcross, breeding colonies, white mice