The best fathers in the natural world that you may not know

In the documentaries and documentaries about the animal world, we often see only the sacred maternal love of all species, rarely hear a good story about great fathers in the wild environment.

It is undeniable that most animal fathers are quite irresponsible in family matters, not to mention care or protection of their children. In the animal world, pregnancy, childbirth and child rearing are often assigned entirely to children, while you will only help at the first stage and then 'run away from the fly'!

In the natural world, most fathers are programmed to follow a rather 'ethical' rite: The guy fights or displays all that he has, not from tricks'. bait 'to get acquainted with the girls. After that, when he achieved the highest goal of maintaining the race, he would immediately abandon the girl with the children to plunge into the fight to maintain another race. ' This may sound funny but in the end it is a reasonable way to maintain the breed, creating the best individuals, able to withstand the rigors of the natural environment.

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Great fathers in the natural world

But the natural environment is always full of surprises, 'exceptions'. In some species, fathers are proud to play an indispensable role in raising their young children along with - or sometimes replacing the mother.

In order to regain the image of the 'men' in the animal world, we will together learn about the best fathers, always sacrificing and loving our children in no way inferior to any mother. . Let's come to the list of admirable fathers in the animal world right here.

Seahorse (seahorse)

Referring to the list of the most diligent fathers in the natural world, or even compared to humans, it is rare for fathers to overcome seahorses by simply, they are the only animals that Males will not only nourish the offspring but also become 'pregnant' children.

A male seahorse is pregnant

Seahorses have the scientific name Hippocampus, they live in shallow waters and widely distributed around the world. The male seahorse possesses a small 'magic bag' in front of the belly and this bag is responsible for capturing the eggs that the children send. After the 'contract of pregnancy' is completed, the male will start fertilizing the eggs and incubating them with his own bag for up to 45 days.

Eggs will be fertilized and nourished until the baby seahorses fully develop. More remarkably, the process of 'outstretching' of male seahorses is not smooth at all. They must experience severe contractions during the process of childbirth. Each hatchery bag has the capacity to hold about 10 to 300 juveniles depending on the species of seahorses.

Close-up of male seahorses giving birth

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Monkey tails (Marmoset)

Squirrel-tailed monkeys, also known as Marmoset monkeys, are small monkeys belonging to primates and among 22 species of New World monkeys, living mostly in South America. Not only possessing beautiful fur and petite, cute appearance, squirrel-tailed monkey is also known as the most diligent father of the natural world.

Squirrel-tailed monkeys carry their babies on their backs

The male squirrel-tailed monkey is extremely important to his father's role. With the help of other family members, including siblings in the herd, typical squirrel monkeys can take on the responsibility of taking care of their young children, such as feeding and catching. lice, lice, clean the coat and always carry the children with you wherever you go until they are sturdy enough to walk on their own.

Father squirrel-tailed monkeys will often act as thoughtful "midwives" during the time when their women are "overrun". They will clean up everything after the children are born and also the task of biting off the umbilical cord.

Jeff French, a primitive scientist at the University of Nebraska Natural Zoo, once shared on National Geographic television that one of the reasons why squirrel-tailed monkeys are particularly interested in their childbirth what comes from the enormous physical stress that marmoset monkeys suffer during pregnancy and even after birth. 'It's like a woman weighs about 55kg but gives birth to a baby weighing up to 14kg, the physical impact on the mother here is very terrible,' the French scientist explained.

More information to you: Squirrel-tailed monkeys are also thought to be primates that possess the most human-like gestures and actions in the animal kingdom, they have an extremely unique communication characteristic. They know how to divide words to avoid interrupting, robbing words. This characteristic is deeply communicative of people, friendly, linguistic, and helps the whole field to obtain information in the most effective way.

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Jacana Waterbird

Jacana is a water bird that is usually found only in the Americas, scientific name is Irediparra Gallinacea. Jacana water bird also owns another name is also known quite widely as the bird Jesus through the ability to walk on their wonderful water surface.

A male Jacana male

So what helps male Jacana birds get into the list of the world's most diligent fathers? It turns out that the male Jacana are the ones who take on the proper hard work for the 'pillar' man in the family, which is nesting, hatching eggs and taking care of young birds. While the Jacana girls usually only have 'talent' in mating activities with as many males as possible, the male Jacana choose to turn themselves into the most loyal housewives in the world. They even choose to stay in the nest for a long time after their woman has left to find a new love affair.

These gentlemen are so "faithful" that they accept the care of fertilized eggs by other males with the 'passionate heart' possible. It can be said, in Jacana waterbirds, the role of males and females has been exchanged. They are the most compassionate and selfless men in the natural world.

Jacana's water bird is taking care of her child

Asian Arowana (Arowana)

Asian arowana is a freshwater fish commonly found in tropical rivers, especially in Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, Asian arowanas are mostly known as arowanas, they are often cultured as ornamental, decorative, or feng shui with values ​​ranging from several hundred thousand to tens of millions, even hundreds of millions depending on the type, size and rare level. Arowana is symbolic of luck, giving fortune, bringing happiness and banishing evil spirits to make feng shui better.

Arowana "blood dragon"

Return to the list of our great fathers. Male arowanas are really 'family men'. In addition to building a nest for babies and absolute protection after they hatch, the Arowana is also known as the 'oral parenting' species. Arowana eggs are quite large in size and small in number (compared to most other freshwater fish species), which are incubated in the mouth of the prawn until the eggs hatch.

Even when the eggs have hatched and the fry are born, the mouth of the arowana is still the safest shelter for the children. Arowanas often keep food in their mouths and feed them. At the same time, this diligent father always pays special attention, keeping an eye on each of the fry and will quickly put them back into his mouth to safely protect predators.

Please watch the video that shows a male arowana holding the animals in the mouth to keep them safe:

Male arowanas suck the juveniles in their mouths to protect them

South American ostrich (Rhea)

Rhea Ostrich or American ostrich (scientific name: Rhea) is an ostrich species commonly found in the desert, natural grasslands of South America, especially in Argentina and Brazil grasslands. , and Bolivia. The South American ostrich has a medium size, a little smaller than an African ostrich but is larger than an Australian ostrich.

Ostrich South American father and her children

Somewhat like the emperor penguin, the South American ostrich is a large terrestrial bird, ie they cannot fly. For this species, the male is the recipient of the noble task - incubating the eggs until the young ostriches are born. In addition to the incubation of 50 eggs at the same time within 6 weeks, the South American ostriches were responsible for building the nest as well as raising and protecting the cubs during the first 6 months of life. any assistance from mothers is needed (it seems a bit unfair for the mother because in fact, after the ostrich spawns, these ostrich fathers will immediately evict the wife. and then hatch the eggs yourself and take care of the young children.

Not only are clever fathers while hatching eggs, South American ostriches are also the most brave men in the South American grasslands. Whether people, tigers, leopards, or any animal of a larger size, just need to say that it is a threat to their children, they will fight to the end without even shaking. be afraid.

There is another interesting feature, which is that South American ostriches live in a 'genuine' polygamy. Each male usually has his own 'harem' from 2 to 12 wives, non-frequency types. Thus, it is only enough to dare to take on the responsibility of raising children and to "fulfill the duties of being a husband" with 12 wives of South American ostriches, perhaps more than enough for many of us to respect. . This is really the family men in the wild world.

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Hump ​​fish

Lumpsucker (lumpfish), also known as lumpfish, is a small saltwater fish found commonly in cold waters in the Arctic Ocean, the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific. The largest number of fish is found in the North Pacific. The so-called humpback fish because the body contains a lot of small suction cues like mini bumps, allowing them to easily cling to rocks or coral reefs on the sea floor to get food.

Humpfish are watching eggs

Although not one of the most beautiful fish in the ocean, but the humpback fish is the most wonderful father of the sea. The breeding season of the humpback usually takes place from June to December each year, and this is when diligent fathers prove their bravery.

Just entering the breeding season, male humpback fish are ready to prepare their nest. The nest of this fish is usually located between narrow rock holes in shallow water. The male humpback fish will have to put all their enthusiasm into the 'great work' of their life because the female will only decide to lay eggs on the nest that they feel 'the belly' most.

Each female can lay between 100,000 and 350,000 eggs. This number is large but in fact the number of eggs that can hatch into a whole will not be the same. After finishing the task, the mother will leave and leave the father industrious with the children. Daddy fish will fertilize the eggs and stay in place without going anywhere. They will use suction cups on their abdomen to hold themselves to the cliff. There, the fathers will sit and observe the development of the eggs until they hatch. However, it is not simply to sit and watch, the fish will have to continuously use the fins to splash water into the nest to create oxygen to supply the eggs, and they will also fight to death to protect the nest. As long as there is a shadow of any predator, the lumped fish will immediately chase away from the distance.

What a great fathers with courage and admiration.

Humpfish can also be farmed as a scene

Frogs and toads

Frogs and toads are amphibians that can be found everywhere on earth. But perhaps many people do not know that they are also the best fathers in the natural world.

Males carry eggs on their backs

Perhaps there is no group, any animal on the planet possesses many devoted fathers like frogs and toads. There are frog fathers carrying tadpoles in their mouth for months to protect them and will not eat until tadpoles are big enough to feed themselves and survive in the outside environment. While many other toad fathers let their children lay their eggs in small niches inside their skin, usually on their backs or legs, and will bring them with them, protecting them until they baby frog born. Typical of this unique 'hatching' method is the maternal toad that you see in the flower image above.

A rare frog, called a frog frog, or Darwin frog, has a unique way of protecting children. As its name suggests, male pocket frogs have a specialized leather bag to carry young children until they are large enough, similar to the way Kangaroo nourishes and protects them. At the reproductive stage, female frogs will lay an average of 40 eggs down into the humid areas, many of them in the forests and then leave. The task of a male frog will be on guard until the embryo is formed, ie about 3 to 4 weeks. Then the father frog will swallow the embryo into a special bag lying in his mouth. Tadpoles will be raised with nutrients that are released from the wall of the bag and start an independent life when the frogs claim that they are sturdy enough.

Darwin frogs raise children in a special bag

Perhaps not many people know that amphibians have become such honorable fathers!

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Emperor penguins

Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri scientific name) is the largest and heaviest bird of all penguins living in Antarctica. They can reach a height of 122cm (48in) and weigh between 22 and 45kg.

Emperor penguins and children

The penguins only breed in winter in the Antarctic islands, and they have to travel long distances between 50 and 120km on the ice to reach the breeding area, where thousands of individuals are . But that is not the most famous challenge of this animal. It is rare to find a father who is more devoted than the emperor penguin in the natural world. After pairing and mating, the female will lay out a single egg, then the male will take care of the hatching, Be quick to blame the mother emperor penguins because after laying eggs, reserves The female's nutrition will be completely depleted and she must return to the ocean to feed for 2 months (because of the long distance), and bring food back when the young bird is born.

At home, fathers will be responsible for keeping eggs warm through the cold Antarctic winter, and this is not simple at all. Not only are they hungry, they also face many other dangers to protect eggs from predators, especially polar bears. The emperor penguin will also spend about 2 months holding the egg between his legs and hamlet, they will not eat at all, and just stand there, during the devastating winter, resisting resilience Before snow storms and powerful winds were found in tropical storms (winter cold winds in Antarctica could reach 220km / h).

The male is forced to stand still or move very carefully because if he moves too suddenly or if the egg is exposed to freezing temperatures, the baby inside will die. After the young bird hatches and the mother bird has not yet returned, or worse, died on a risky hunting journey, the male will secrete a nutrient-rich fluid from the esophagus to feed the bird. young and keep taking care of it.

Emperor penguins are protecting the young

However, the emperor penguin's lifestyle is also an interesting feature in nature. During the two months of waiting for the female birds to bring the food back, the father at home will establish a 'far-away wife'. They will stand together in clusters to keep warm and fend off winds and enemies. On average, after each hatchery season, royal penguin wings can lose up to 20kg of body weight. After the female returns, they take turns looking after children and eating.

The sacrifice of the empty emperor penguin here is so obvious, but we should also give admiration to the mother birds. They must pass hundreds of kilometers with full of risks to find their prey for young birds. What a wonderful parent of the natural world!

Giant water beetle

Giant water beetles (Belostomatidae), also known as swimming Legs, are aquatic insects scattered throughout the world. They are quite large in the insect family, males can be up to 12cm long. It can be said that the size of giant water bugs is directly proportional to the responsibility and commitment they give to their children.

Giant water beetles carry eggs on their backs

In the illustration, you can see countless lumps on the back of the male giant beetle, that's not it, it's their eggs! By the breeding season, the giant female beetle will lay about 40 to 100 eggs on the back of the male. After that, the male will carry the eggs on his back, protecting them until the baby bugs are born.

The carrying of such eggs, though, helps ensure safer eggs compared to the method of laying in many other insects' nests, but accidentally causes the waterbugs to be in danger because they will not be able to fly and only remain How to fight the enemy. Fortunately, not many animals dare to bother a male giant water bug because it can cause one of the most painful bites in the insect world.

Daddy is not simply carrying eggs on their backs, but also taking care of them. Biologists have recorded a number of videos about how the beetles try to clean eggs with water or remove parasites on eggs. For them, the eggs on their backs are treasures.

Giant water bug eggs hatch

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Wolf

Surely you are no stranger to this animal. The wolf is the largest wild dog in the dog family and is also the most famous dog. Its shoulder height ranges from 0.6m to 0.9m and has an average weight of 32kg to 62kg.

The dog is the close teacher of his children

Although famous for being a sly predator, and malevolent, males are one of the most thoughtful fathers in the mammalian world. Wolves often live faithfully under the 'one-monogamy' regime for life and do not 'bored' any opponent to protect their cubs. The wolves that you encounter are actually a classic nuclear family that includes your mother, father and children.

After the wolf gave birth to the baby, it would keep abreast of its fledgling puppies 24 hours and not leave the cave for a few weeks until the baby wolves were strong enough. During that difficult time, the father wolf will stand out to protect his family and go to search for food for both mother and baby wolves. When the little wolves grew a bit and began to explore the outside world, the wolf wolf was also the one who was responsible for teaching children how to hunt, and at the same time playing a strict mentor, sometimes cheerful , help the young wolves can soon integrate with the herd.

In the case of extreme weather and male wolves cannot earn enough food for the whole family, it will yield all the meat that they earn to their wives and children (puppies can start eating meat after 3 weeks).

Another 'model' couple in the animal world!

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Chicken Namaqua chicken

Namaqua sand chicken (scientific name: Pterocles Namaqua) is a common living chicken in the arid region of southwestern Africa. Although they are called chickens, they are actually more like birds. Namaqua sand chickens are only slightly larger in size than pigeons and can also fly quite well.

Namaqua sand chicken belongs to the dove family

Talking about devoted fathers in the animal world that bypassing Namaqua sand chicken is a big omission. Since water is needed to raise young children, the breeding season for Namaqua is not necessarily fixed but depends on the rainfall of each month of the year. In the reproductive stage, Namaqua sand chicken will build a beautiful nest by dry leaves or grass in the pits then go to flirt with the females. When 'marriage' and 'room movement' are completed, each female will lay about 2 to 3 eggs. The incubation period of Namaqua sand chicken is not too long for about 22 days, but not "gentle" at all.

During the time when the chickens hatch the eggs in the nest, Nama chicken chicken will be responsible for supplying water to the wife and children at home. On the same day, during the 22 days, Namaqua fathers will fly to find lakes, immerse themselves in it to allow water to penetrate into the special hair in front of the chest and bring that amount of water to the nest for the wife and children. As mentioned, the main habitat of Namaqua sand chicken is the arid lands of southwestern Africa, so the water source will be extremely scarce, and the Namaqua fathers have to fly 100km a day to find Sufficient amount of water is not uncommon.

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Above is a list of the 11 most wonderful fathers in the animal world, they are dedicated and willing to sacrifice their lives to protect their children. After all, no matter what, somehow, fathers are always great people in their own way. Take time to pay more attention to your father and become great fathers in your own home!