Dads in the wild

By Phil Dzikiy<br><a href="mailto:phil.dzikiy@lockportjournal.com">E-mail Phil</a>
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

June 22, 2009 10:26 am

— Every year on Father’s Day, across the world, dads get their due. Human dads, that is. But what of the animal kingdom?
As human fathers are given gifts today adorned with such fictional titles as “World’s Best Cook,” “Father of the Year,” and of course, “World’s Greatest Dad,” we’re offering a few titles for selected patriarchal creatures. Some are good, some are bad, but they’re all dad.

Best doting dad (pre-birth): Emperor penguins
As those who’ve watched the 2005 documentary “March of the Penguins” know, the father Emperor penguin doesn’t have it easy when it comes to child rearing.
While the Emperor penguin mother is off on her own arduous journey to find food for her young, the father penguin keeps the couple’s egg warm for about two months straight. The penguin dads eat nothing during this time, as they balance eggs on their feet, huddling together in the wicked Antarctic climate.

Best doting dad (after birth): Marmosets
Marmosets (a type of monkey) see the fathers of their species take on the brunt of the child rearing. When the marmoset mom isn’t nursing her babies (usually twins), the father is carrying and grooming the child.

Worst stepfather: Lions
Though lion fathers are unflinching protectors of their own prides, things change drastically when a new alpha male joins the family.
New males who take over a new pride will often kill the cubs. This is likely done because lionesses don’t become fertile until their cubs either die or mature.

Most (hypothetical) prenatal classes attended: Elephants
Science hasn’t proven that any animals attend prenatal classes, but if they did, the elephant father would likely be spending the most time in such sessions, as the female elephant’s gestation period is about 22 months long.

Worst peacemaker: A number of large birds (Eagles, herons, pelicans, etc.)
Some large birds are often guilty of siblicide, in which parents let their young fight it out until one (or more) of the chicks die. This tends to occur in situations where there may be a lack of food available for the chicks.

Mr. mom: Seahorses
There are a lot of good dads in the animal kingdom, but the seahorse father goes above and beyond the call of duty.
When the female and male seahorse mate, the female puts her eggs in the male’s pouch. The father fertilizes the eggs and carries them until he births the babies himself — for all intents and purposes, male seahorses are the pregnant sex in the genus.

Photos