In the animal world, males do not always take part in raising their offspring, sometimes they may even be aggressive towards their own children. But there are those who pay more attention to their cubs than females! We invite you to learn about the most caring fathers in the world of wildlife!
The role of the father is often underestimated in the upbringing of children. This situation needs to be corrected!
Common marmoset
Males of this species not only closely monitor the offspring, but also lick the young when they are just born. However, this is not the most surprising thing! It is believed that almost all males of the animal world strive to pass on as many of their genes as possible, that is, to fertilize as many females as possible. But the fathers of common marmosets do not even look in the direction of ovulating females, since they need to take care of their offspring.
Carrying and having a baby takes energy away from the monkey mom, so the father’s involvement in nurturing and protecting is critical to the survival of the offspring. Studies show that new fathers do not even have testosterone fluctuations, which suggests that once children are born, they do not want to reproduce for a while.
Nanda
Nanda is a polygamous bird. A male can keep a dozen females in his harem, but at the same time, he will show devotion to all his children. Rhea builds nests for their females to lay eggs. However, the females themselves do not incubate them! This is done by males. In addition to the fact that males incubate chicks, after hatching, they fiercely protect them from all dangers.
Penguins
The list of the most caring males could not do without penguins. Fathers of this species incubate eggs for weeks while females hunt in the sea for their future offspring. Hatching chicks is a very difficult job. Males have to starve during this entire period, therefore, by the return of their mother, they lose half of their body weight. Surprisingly, if the female does not have time to hatch the cub, the father in an exhausted state will be able to feed the chick with a curdled substance, which he regurgitates.
Interestingly, a number of studies have shown that when choosing a mate, females tend to look for plump males!
Big-eared fox
Big-eared foxes build monogamous relationships and live in family groups. Males often act as babysitters while females leave in search of food. However, scientists note that the fathers of this species spend as much, if not more, time protecting, caring for, and raising their young as the females.
Belostomy
Giant water beetles or belostomas look very unpleasant and bite terribly painfully. But this is not the main distinguishing feature of the species. Individuals of the male sex completely devote themselves to the offspring. After mating, the female sticks a brood of more than 100 eggs to her partner’s back. He carries his future babies for the next few weeks, periodically “combing” the rows between them and ventilating them to prevent the eggs from catching a fungal infection.