From the emperor penguin, which keeps its eggs warm, to the swan, which builds nests with love, to the funny tamarin, which protects its cubs, to the attentive and protective wolf, up to the seahorse, which carries its young. Here are the best dads in the animal kingdom, who are an example of dedication and unconditional love.
Emperor penguin
There are few examples in nature of a father more dedicated to his children than the emperor penguin. After the female lays her eggs, her nutritional reserves are depleted and she must return to feeding at sea for two months. This means that the responsibility for keeping the egg warm through, protected from the freezing Antarctic winter, lies with the father. The father will spend two months hatching the egg between his paws, never abandoning it, without feeding for days and days, without shelter from the cold. What a dad!
Seahorse
The first point in favor of male seahorses is that, unlike most other fish, they are monogamous and companions for life. But the even more bizarre characteristic is that they are the only species on earth in which the male “gives birth” to the young. My second place in the ranking goes to them.
Wolf
Despite their fearsome reputation as predators, male wolves are attentive, monogamous and protective dads to their young, who will live in the pack for their entire lives. When the female gives birth, the wolf does not leave its den for several weeks, keeping guard and hunting for food to share with its new family.
Tamarin
The tamarin (Saguinus fuscicollis) is a small South American monkey, known above all for its characteristic whiskers. What is perhaps less well known is that fathers take care of the little ones immediately after giving birth, bringing them back to the mother every 2 or 3 hours for half an hour’s breastfeeding. For the rest of the time it is the father who holds the newborn in his arms and takes care of him.
Swan
Not only is it a (fairly) faithful companion, but the swan also collaborates in building the nest, participates in the incubation of the eggs, alternating with the female or remaining on guard and, during hatching, accompanies the young into the water as they emerge from the shell. Here’s another present dad from the animal kingdom.
