Ecology: Mind flayers live about 125 years. They are warm-blooded amphibians, and spend the first 10 years of life as tadpoles, swimming in the elder-brain pool until they either die (which most do) or grow into adult illithids. On an irregular basis, adult illithids feed brains to the tadpoles, which do not molest the elder-brain.
Illithids are hermaphroditic; each can produce one tadpole twice in its life.
Mind flayer ichor is an effective ingredient in a potion of ESP.
(From
http://positron.jfet.org/adnd/monste...0.htm#c6f71ce7)
So I guess the mother looks pretty similar to that one.