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No. Although its biological behavior is like that of a parasite, it is not, by definition, a parasite. This isn't really a useful answer, but it's not really a useful question.

It's like saying your newborn child doesn't think George Bush is a very good President. Well, he doesn't think he's a bad President either.

Calling something a parasite describes a relationship where one organism lives at the expense of another. And the embryo does live at the expensive of the mother/host. However, a parasite by definition cannot be the same species as its host. So an embyro, no matter how much it harms the mother, cannot technically be a parasite.

Again, it just isn't useful to categorize an embryo as a parasite or not a parasite. It doesn't add or subtract anything to our understanding of what the embryo actually does.

You would also have to argue that the host gets no benefit from reproducing. I think a biologist would laugh himself silly if you said that to him.

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10y ago

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No, a mammalian embryo is not considered a parasite. Although it relies on the host (mother) for nutrients and protection, it is a developing organism of the same species rather than an independent organism exploiting the host for its own benefit.

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10mo ago
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Q: Is a mammalian embryo a parasite?
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