Dedicated Animal Dads That Care for Their Young
These are just a few different ways that fathers from the animal kingdom stay involved as parents:
Jawfishes
Think your dad’s protective? When it comes to jawfish parents, the male is a mouthbrooder. This means that, after fertilizing his mate’s eggs, the father will gulp the eggs up in his mouth and hold them there for an incubation period. This is a way to protect the young jawfishes from predators until they hatch and are able to swim on their own. During the incubation time, the mouthbrooding male likely does not eat—proof of a truly dedicated dad.
Gray wolves
The wolf pack is as close-knit as it sounds. And while gray wolf dads may seem a bit stern and protective, they’re looking out for the cubs’ best interests. Within a pack, only an alpha pair will breed. Male and female wolves usually form lifelong bonds and raise their litters together, with around four to seven cubs born in the spring. A gray wolf father attentively stands guard of his family’s den, in addition to protecting the entire pack’s territory. Other wolf packs can be hostile neighbors and a threat to the pups, so the dad will be sure to keep a close eye on his litter. The alpha male also provides food to the new cubs, with the help of the rest of the pack: the mother, older siblings, aunts, and uncles. While the pups are too young to travel, dad and all the extended family bring back tasty meals of regurgitated meat. The alpha wolf isn’t all work and no play; wolves also form deep social bonds and can be playful as well as protective.
Giant water bugs
It’s rare for insect fathers to help out in raising young. One exception is the giant water bug, which carries the eggs that his mate glues to his back—over 100 of them! This dad even does push-ups while carrying the kids, in a manner of speaking. He remains near the water’s surface to regularly raise and lower the brood of unhatched water bugs, because the eggs need to be both exposed to air and moistened to survive. The male water bug also gently moves the eggs around with his hind legs, to make sure water is flowing around them evenly. This dad will continue keeping his young afloat for about three weeks, when the eggs hatch.
Golden lion tamarins
These primates pull their weight when it comes to parenting. They live in small social groups, where usually only one female breeds. Male tamarins help care for the young more than other primates do, carrying the baby monkeys almost constantly except for when the mother feeds them. Since golden lion tamarins are usually born in twins, all the adult males of the group will help out, in addition to the father or dominant male. Carrying the young tamarins help protect them from predators like ocelots and hawks.
