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A '''placenta''' is a bodily structure that allows nutrient and gases to pass between the mother and the [[embryo]].<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Biology''. Apologia
A '''placenta''' is a bodily structure that allows nutrient and gases to pass between the mother and the [[embryo]].<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Biology''. Apologia
Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref>
Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref> Many wild animals, including herbivores (despite the placenta being a form of [[meat]]), will eat their placentia in order to avoid being detected by [[predators]] soon after the energy-taxing task of giving birth. The practice of eating the placenta is called [[placentophagy]], and it is practiced in some human cultures-- notably the [[Chinese]].
Placenta comes from the Latin for ''mother'' or ''flat cake'' <ref>http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placenta Merriam-Webster Online</ref> and the name has been accordingly adapted for crêpés in many [[Slavic]] [[language]]s.