Father's Day in the Animal Kingdom

As you know, today is Father's Day and as none of us still have our Fathers around, we are going to celebrate it with Fathers in the Animal Kingdom.

In some species, the Fathers work as hard as the Mothers in rearing their young, and also some take complete responsibility for rearing the young.

As in humans, there are good and bad Dad's in the Animal Kingdom, and here are a few of the good ones who really deserve the title of Dad.

Lions.
Ok you tend to see them lounging around and sleeping in the shade while Mum goes off hunting all day, and considering Lions eat about 65 pounds of meat a day that is hard work. When Mum brings back the kill, Dad gets first pickings. But if the pride is in danger Dad comes into force and becomes very protective of the Pride and his Fatherly instinct comes to the front and he will do anything to protect his family.

Gorilla.
A Gorilla Dad is in charge of a large clan and is responsible for finding food for his group. And again, no mean task as some eat up to 50 pounds of food a day. He has great respect for the Mother of his children and will always dine with her before letting the kids join in the meal. He is very attentive, fending off threats by beating his chest and charging enemies. He often fights off other Gorillas who can kill the babies when trying to take over the group. He spends a lot of time with the young playing lovingly with them and sorting out any arguments. A typical Dad in other words.

Red Fox.
These Dads love to play with their pups like most Dads. While they are young Dad will hunt every day giving a home delivery service to Mum and the Pups. After three months,that supply of home delivery stops and the Pups have to find their own, but again he is a caring Dad, he buries food near the den to teach them to sniff and forage for food.

African Wild Dogs.
Same as domesticated dogs these Wild Dogs are very active. The Pups can't eat solid food for the first 10 weeks so their Father swallows their food and regurgitates it for the pups to eat. Obviously, Dad will not stop at anything to ensure that the pups get a good meal.

African Wild Dog

You can see Dad carrying the baby on it’s back

Golden Lion Tamarin.
By two weeks old, the babies are carried on Dad's back nearly 24/7. Dad hands them back to Mum one at a time every few hours so she can nurse it and then hand it back to Dad. They will do this till the infants are six to seven weeks of age. At 4 weeks, they start to eat soft food, so Dad steps in again to peel and mash bananas and hand feed the babies.

Flamingos.
The birds are monogamous and mate for life. The Dads believe in equality and will help Mum select a nesting site and they construct it together out of the mud. Once the egg is laid, the father shares in the incubating duties and once the baby is born, he shares all parental duties. As all good Dad’s should!

Frogs and Toads.
We all know these creatures, and maybe have some in your garden, we certainly have Toads. They are dedicated Fathers and the frogs keep the tadpoles in their mouth til they are able to go it themselves. Toads like the Midwife Toad implant the spawn under their skin on their backs of their legs. The Pouched Frog carries their offspring in a pouch on their belly.

Seahorses.
They are the only species known for male pregnancy. Mum deposits the eggs into the male's pouch, he fertilises them, and incubates them for 45 days, and then they are born as tiny seahorses. They probably don't suffer from morning sickness but do endure the pains of labour.

You can see the amount of tiny seahorses that have just been born

Emperor Penguin.
Well, what can you say about these adorable creatures? The Dads are one of the most dedicated Fathers. By the time the female lays her egg she has used up all her nutritional reserves and is exhausted, she must eat. Off she goes to sea for two months to feed. Dad takes on the responsibility of a single Dad and keeps the eggs warm by balancing the egg between the top of his toes and his belly. It cannot be exposed to the harsh cold of the Antarctic. If the chick hatches before Mum is back Dad will feed the chick from milk he produces from his oesophagus

I think we all love Emperor Penguins and admire his way of life, it’s far from easy!

Of course, you get bad Dads, same as with humans, and some will actually kill their own offspring. These include Sea Bass, Grizzly Bear, Hanuman Langur, Bottlenose Dolphin and Chimpanzee to name a few.

Most parents in the animal kingdom work very hard to rear their young against all odds, and of course us humans don't help matters at all, and often it is our fault that the young don't survive. It is no wonder that any baby born in captivity nowadays is so well looked after and cared for.

Do you have a favourite Animal Dad, or are you a Dad to any animal?
If so let's have your pics of your fur babies and some of their funny habits.

As it is Father's Day, we will also say Happy Father's Day to all human Dad's and I for one still miss my good old Dad. There is nobody like your Dad.

All are welcome.
And please feel free to share all discussions you enjoy.