The best dads of the animal kingdom

the best dads of the animal kingdom

for Father's Day, or all year long, these images of paternal protection will show you that tenderness is shared across species.

we must not hide it: the males of the animal kingdom are not all as protective of their offspring as the others. But some shine by the attention they give to their little ones. Even in some species, the father plays the central role in accompanying the young to maturity, alone or with the mother.

at the top of the list, one can not resist the pleasure of putting forward the emperor penguin. Faced with the particularly arduous living conditions of Antarctica, the penguin dad will walk tens of kilometers to reach the nesting area where the female confides her precious egg.

the penguin dad then protects him from the cold for two months by placing him between his legs and his belly, while the mother leaves to eat for the moment when the egg bursts. Then the parents take care of the child in turn.

Arowana, the best fish dad

Arowanas dads offer some of the most caring paternal care amongst fish. They build nests to protect their young from egg hatching, and they shelter hundreds of small fish in their mouths, letting them occasionally escape to explore the surroundings. However, arowana dad always takes special care to look for each of his young and put it back in his mouth to protect them all from predators.

the jacana, the coolest ozzie dad

The male jacanas do all the work! These Australian birds build nests, convent eggs and take care of chicks. While the female jacanas walk and mate with as many males as they can, men act as faithful fathers, even staying near the nest long after the females have left them to migrate. They are even so loyal that they sometimes take care of eggs fertilized by other males.

the hippocampus, tender father

Seahorses are unique because they belong to a family of fish known for an astonishing peculiarity: male pregnancy.

The male seahorses have a pocket where the females deposit their eggs. Once deposited, the male fertilizes the eggs and incubates them for up to 45 days, until the small seahorses appear as fully developed. The seahorse fathers even know the experience of contractions when they give birth to the small seahorses.

the wolf, fearsome predator, daddy hen

Despite their reputation as formidable predators, male wolves are attentive, monogamous and fiercely protective dads who live with their wolves for life. A pack of wolves is essentially a classic nuclear family consisting of a mom, a dad and their children.

After a wolf has given birth, she remains close to her helpless little ones and does not leave her den for several weeks. The father stands guard and hunt for food to share with his family, and does not skimp when it comes to sharing food with his offspring. The wolf regurgitates the meat to share with its litter, the puppies can begin to eat meat from three weeks, and the father will provide whole pieces of fresh prey. When the young puppies grow up, the father helps the young wolves integrate the pack.