In certain population groups the stereotype was created that child care does not belong to the father's duties, not men's this business — to change clothes to kids of diapers or to sing lullabies. They have a great number of others ""more important"" put therefore such ""trifles"" fall generally on mother. And what role of dad in fauna?
Winged fathers
Unconditional champions of responsible paternity are birds. In 85% all of them types dad divides family efforts with mother. Usually mother hatches a laying and protects a nest, and the father builds it, gets food and feeds a female and a brood. But there are also interesting exceptions. About 1% of birds are loner parents. The most known example — ostriches of an emu and cassowaries. The father in these types hatches about 60 days a laying independently, and then for a long time cares for little baby birds.
Not the most unique father among birds — an imperial penguin. Having laid the one and only eggs, the female for several weeks leaves it on a male, and itself goes to the ocean — to have a rest and eat. All this time the father penguin holds egg on paws, warming it under a fold of skin on a stomach. He does not eat, does not move and with firmness transfers wind and a 30-degree frost up to return of mother.
The male of pink flamingos shares all care of descendants with a female equally. They together build a nest, hatch eggs and bring up both small baby birds from a beak special ""milk"".
Males of some woodpeckers and black morwennols ""substitute"" females on a laying at night when predators become more active, and at small water birds, northern yakan, one mother has several men and several nests. While the big and aggressive female zealously protects the territory, each of fathers cares for a nest and feeds kids.
And how about mammals to whom also we belong, people?
Some of the most careful parents — representatives of family of canids. The male of a red fox not only hunts and provides to the wife and children food, but when young foxes grow up, teaches them to hunt. For this purpose he brings them on finishing half-dead production and also digs in food that children learned to look for it on a smell. Also wolves arrive. And jackals and the African wild dogs feed cubs with the digested food own half while gentle stomachs of kids are not capable to cope with rough meat, bones and veins.
But the best parents are, without doubts, our immediate family — monkeys.
Tiny amusing golden tamarina and some marmozetka, the size it is slightly more about a palm, show an example of model paternity. The birth of a small martyshonk difficult, after it a female needs rest. All burden of responsibility for the child falls literally on the father. Exactly there the male carries the kid all the time and gives to mother only for feeding by milk. Subsequently he begins to feed up a cub soft fruit, protects, caresses and learns within months until the little monkey matures.
Anthropoids are also careful parents. The mighty male of a mountain gorilla not only protects the children and all family group, he willingly plays with posterity.
The birth of a small martyshonk difficult, after it a female needs rest. All burden of responsibility for the child falls literally on the father.
And at a chimpanzee mother cares for kids generally. However it is the only look at which lonely males can adopt foreign cubs after their parents died from hands of hunters, in "wars" between groups, from some predators or diseases. Why and as the male of a chimpanzee makes the decision on adoption, it is for certain unknown. However, in severe conditions of the wild nature such initiative can cost much to him. The kid requires resources and attention and considerably reduces chances of the father of survival and advance on ""a career ladder"". The cub should be taught, to feed and protect that it is quite difficult to do alone, without having a number of ""aunts"" and ""grandmothers"" whose support mummies usually enjoy that live groups while males compete for the power. So, adoption cases males happen among a chimpanzee seldom, but it is the true family heroism.
So who the best father among animals?
Most of all this rank chimpanzees deserve. However and at other animals to us — people — is to what to learn!